Air Force looking to sell 18 Mirage fighters
The Hellenic Air Force General Staff is looking for a buyer willing to take 18 of its 4th generation Dassault Mirage 2000EGM/BGM multi-role fighters, which served 332 Hawk Squadron for over 30 years, until 2022.
Kathimerini understands that the Hellenic Air Force is looking into the possibility of the fighters’ sale to India, a suggestion which both the Ministry of Defense and the Prime Minister’s office are aware of.
The same sources emphasize that both sides are nearly ready to finalize a deal and they do not rule out the possibility that the fighters’ sale could be brought up by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in a future visit to New Delhi.
The 18 Mirage fighters were acquired in the late 1980s and retired in January 2022, after the purchase of newer 4.5th generation Dassault Rafale fighters.
The problems faced by 332 Squadron due to the Mirage 2000 are known, as is the fact that the fighters were grounded due to lack of logistical support before the new French fighters were procured.
Most of the ‘two-liter’ fighters have in recent years been left abandoned at the Tanagra Air Base in Boeotia, while some have been ‘cannibalized’ for parts to a point where it seems unlikely that they could fly again.
Nevertheless, there are still some operators of the legendary French fighters, such as India, which maintains around 50 of the aircraft across three fighter squadrons.
Just before the 2023 expiry, New Delhi announced its interest in procuring used Mirage 2000s as it intends to keep its own squadrons that use them operational for at least another decade.
Greece is looking forward to further its defensive ties with India, and the decision to sell the decommissioned Mirages is expected to have more political benefits than economic.
It is indicative that the Hellenic Air Force General Staff has kept its expectations for the sale price of the Mirage fighters low, due to the aforementioned derelict condition of many of them, which are estimated to sell for just a few million euros at best.
The scenarios concerning the newer Mirage 2000-5s
Many likely scenarios are also on the table when it comes to the newer Mirage 2000-5 fighters of the 331 “Theseus” Squadron.
After the signing of the support contract, the availability of the delta-winged fighters has risen significantly, by almost 50%.
These specific aircraft continue to be a significant ace in the hole for the Hellenic Air Force, which give it an important advantage over its Turkish counterpart.
Nevertheless, their high maintenance costs and technology advances have made the air force staff reconsider their future.
As the Air Force advances towards network-centric operations, the Mirage 2000-5 fighters are starting to show their age.
The proposal to install a Link-16 tactical data link so that communication between the F-16Vs, the Rafales, and in the future the F-35s may be facilitated, has been abandoned due to the high costs involved and the uncertainty over its effectiveness.
This means that gradually the delta-winged fighters will assume a secondary defense role as an interception aircraft, just as the older F-16 Block 30s.
One of the proposals which seems to have many supporters within the Air Force General Staff is the sale of the 24 Mirage 2000-5 fighters while they remain operational and with enough flight hours left, so that the purchase of additional Rafales could be financed.
Within the next six months, the Air Force will acquire six Rafales as part of a supplementary order, bringing their number up to a total of 24.
A potential purchase of six more aircraft could result in two additional squadrons with 15 fighters each, the sources reported.
These same sources clarify that it is still early to make decisions on the Mirage 2000-5 fighters, and that they will continue to fly the colors of the Hellenic Air Force, noting that all scenarios are on the table.
Balancing its requirements is still not easy for the Air Force, as it will see its air fleet diminish in number, but it will be bolstered with modern equipment of quality.
In the long term it will also have an economic benefit, as the Tanagra Air Base will no longer have to provide logistical support for two types of aircraft.
This will also have a positive effect on operations, as the Rafales are multi-role fighters which can utilize almost the entire range of weapons systems purchased for the Mirage 2000-5.
The Air Force’s stock of SCALP-EG long-range air-launched cruise missiles is satisfactory, while its arsenal is also complemented by Exocet AM39 anti-ship missiles, giving the Rafales naval strike capabilities.
