The Minister of National Defence Mr. Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos informed the members of the Special Standing Committee on Armament Programs and Contracts about the procurement of “Rafale” type fighter aircraft and of the associated equipment and support services, in the Senate Hall of the Hellenic Parliament, on Thursday, 17 December.
The briefing was also attended by the Deputy Minister of National Defence Mr. Alkiviadis Stefanis, the Chief of HNDGS General Konstantinos Floros, the Chief of HAFGS Lieutenant General Georgios Blioumis, as well as the General Director of Defence Armaments and Investments Lieutenant General (ret) Mr. Theodoros Lagios.
After the briefing, the Minister of National Defence stated the following:
“We came to the Parliament today to inform the Standing Committee on Armament Programs and Contracts about the necessity – purpose of the implementation of the new programs for the procurement of six (6) new and twelve (12) second-hand “RAFALE” type fighter aircraft, of their weapons as well as their follow-on support contracts.
Following a speech delivered by the Prime Minister, as well as by myself during the annual debate about the vote on the state Budget of 2021, in the plenary session of the Parliament, we made one more step towards launching, by all the institutional means, the procurement procedure of new fighter aircraft, which will constitute a strategic choice of the Hellenic Air Force for the maintenance of air supremacy.
Our objective, through the procurement of “RAFALE”, as well as of the similar actions which are planned, is to upgrade the national factor in the correlation of force and to achieve a maximum deterrence capability.
There are challenges and bets we have to win in every aspect of the procurement procedure of our Armed Forces and in the implementation of Armament Programs. The circumstances force us to accomplish them.
Particularly as far as the “RAFALE” are concerned, after today’s briefing of the Committee of Armaments, the procurement procedure of the new fighters which will offer the Hellenic Armed Forces a strategic advantage, begins”.
