ON JANUARY 25, 2021, almost 13 years after Greece and France fi rst discussed the purchase of the Dassault Rafale 4.5+ generation multi-role fi ghter, the two

nations fi nally signed a contract. The deal involved the acquisition of 18

aircraft – six two-seat Rafale DGs and 12 single-seat Rafale EGs. Of this total, six will be delivered as new-build aircraft

(two DGs and four EGs), while theremaining 12 are being delivered second-hand from the Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace (AAE, French Air and Space Force). These surplus aircraft comprise ten former single-seat Rafale Cs and a pair of two-seat Rafale Bs.

Greece is procuring the fi ghters to replace the Hellenic Air Force’s (HAF’s) aging fl eet of Dassault Mirage 2000BGM/EGMs, which are employed by the 114 Combat Wing’s (CW) 332 Mira (Squadron) ‘Geraki (Hawk)’ at Tanagra Air Base (AB).

Two days after the contract was signed, the fi rst AAE Rafale B was fl own from St Dizier-Robinson AB in France’s Champagne-Ardenne region to Dassault

Aviation’s facility in Bordeaux, to be prepared for delivery to the HAF. A

week after the purchase, several Greek Mirage 2000 pilots from 332 Mira fl ew with French Rafale Bs during Exercise Skyros 2021.

But what was behind Greece’s choice of the Rafales? And what

role did Exercise Skyros play in the HAF’s Rafale program?

Preparing for the futureSince Greece received its fi rst Dassault Mirage F1CGs on August 4, 1975, the HAF has been a steadfast operator of French fi ghter aircraft.

The Mirage F1CG and its eventual successor, the Mirage 2000BG/EG, delivered air superiority capabilities

August 2021 // www.Key.Aero20

RAFALES OF SKYROSRAFALES OF SKYROSRAFALES OF SKYROSThe Hellenic Air Force ispreparing for the arrival of its fi rst Dassault Rafale DG/EH multi-role fi ghters, as Babak Taghvaee reveals

Exercise Skyros 2021 patch. The exercise took place between February 2-4

21www.Key.Aero // August 2021

RAFALES OF SKYROSRAFALES OF SKYROSRAFALES OF SKYROSto the HAF over the Aegean Sea. This enabled the service’s 135 Combat Group to eff ectively protect the Athens Flight Information Region (FIR) over the Aegean from the dangers of the Turkish Air Force’s (TuAF) third-generation fi ghters, which, at the time, included F-100C Super Sabres; F-104S Starfi ghters; F-5A Freedom Fighters and F-4E Phantom IIs.

Following the delivery of the fi rst Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 40 Fighting Falcons to the TuAF in 1987, HAF Mirage F1CG pilots soon found themselves struggling to beat the new fi ghter in aerial combat over the Aegean.

On March 21, 1988, the HAF received its fi rst Mirage 2000BG/EGs at Tanagra. In just two years, all four two-seat Mirage 2000BGs and 37 single-seat EGs (including one attrition delivery) had been delivered to the Greek air arm.

Throughout hundreds of dogfi ghts, the Mirage 2000s have been able to force the Turkish F-16s to withdraw from Greek airspace, mostly due to fuel starvation caused by the excessive use of the Fighting Falcon’s afterburner. On October 8, 1996, a Mirage 2000EG pilot reportedly shot down a TuAF-operated two-seat F-16D from 192 Filo (Squadron), using a Matra R.550 Magic 2 short-range infrared-guided air-to-air missile.

In 2000, Greece placed a €1.6bn order to purchase 15 new-build Mirage 2000-5s from Dassault, comprising fi ve two-seat 2000-5BGs and ten single-seat 2000-5EGs. The fi rm also modernized and upgraded ten of the HAF’s existing Mirage 2000EGs to 2000-5EG standard, in a process that started in 2003 and ended in 2007. Additionally, three Mirage 2000BGs and 18 Mirage 2000EGs received a slight upgrade – bringing them to Standard Greece 3 (SG3) – to allow the fi ghters to employ MBDA’s AM.39 Exocet Block II anti-ship missile. This initiative was announced in December 2019 by the Greek Ministry of Defense (MoD). Upgrading the older 2000EGs to 2000EGM-SG3 standard has only served as a stop-gap solution until a replacement could be sourced. This fi nally happened when the Greek government signed the acquisition contract for 18 Rafales earlier this year.

Greece's procurement of the Rafale comes as part of a larger program for increasing the combat capability of the Hellenic Tactical Air Force (HTAF), which is responsible for training and preparing HAF combat units during peacetime and co-ordinating their operations during wartime situations.

Lieutenant Colonel N Nicolas, director of Exercise Skyros 2021 All photos: author, unless stated

Three of the four AAE-operated Rafale Bs that participated in exercise Skyros 2021 fl y in formation with two Mirage 2000-5EGs of 331 Mira, an F-16C Block 52+M and F-16D Block 52+M of the HAF’s 336 Mira ‘Olympus’ near Tanagra on February 3, 2021 AAE/Jean-Luc Brunet

August 2021 // www.Key.Aero22

SKYROS 2021 // GREEK RAFALE PURCHASE

Under this initiative, 24 Mirage 2000-5BG/EGs, 38 F-16C/D Block 50s and 84 F-16C/D Block 52+ fi ghters are going to be modernized to Mirage 2000-5BGM/EGM, F-16C/D Block 52+ and F-16V Block 72, respectively, over a period of three to four years. Additionally, 18 F-35A Lightning II fi fth-generation multi-role stealth fi ghters may be purchased to replace the HAF’s matured F-4E (AUP) Phantom II fl eet.

Hellenic retirementsDassault's Mirage 2000 family was not fully designed through a true Integrated Logistic Support (ILS) methodology, unlike the Rafale, which is much newer and more advanced than its predecessor. However, during the Mirage's design process, there was strong involvement from future customers; the advantage of Dassault’s prior experience in developing fi ghter aircraft, and operational feedback from previous programs, which gave it the “abilities of a highly available and maintainable aircraft”.

When the Mirage 2000 was designed, the methodology described above was not yet formalized, but the aircraft took advantage of good supportability in its

design, which was demonstrated during operations. During the Mirage 2000BG/EGs fi rst 20 years of HAF service, the type proved to be a Low LifeCycle Cost (LLC) weapon system with superb availability.

From 2011, the number of Mirage 2000BGM/EGMs that remain operational with 332 Mira has declined extensively. The HAF’s fl eet has suff ered from a lack of spares and repair parts since 2015, resulting in a minor decline in the number of serviceable and operational Mirage 2000BGM/EGMs and Mirage 2000-5BG/EGs, which are employed by 331 Mira ‘Aegeas’ at Tanagra.

The HAF is experiencing what other Mirage 2000 operators are struggling to contend with right now – namely, the lack of available spares. For example, if a new landing-gear set is needed for a damaged Mirage 2000, it could take between two and six months to get the part. During the 1990s, it would have taken less than a week for the equipment to be supplied.

The Mirage 2000 has three levels of maintenance: organizational, intermediate and depot. The organizational level activities involve fl ight inspections, daily servicing, operational check-out,

lubrication, troubleshooting and replacement of Line Replaceable Units (LRUs), which are conducted in the maintenance hangars of 331 and 332 Mira after each sortie, or whenever necessary.

For the intermediate level, the 114 CW– like many other HAF combat wings – has its own maintenance hangar to perform the job. These maintenance tasks for the Mirage 2000 are divided into two: ‘hard time’ and ‘on condition’. The former is essentially preventive and has been progressively reduced with feedback; the latter is corrective and takes place more frequently. It requires the evidence of a defect (wear, deterioration or failure), either through visual checks by on-board integrated testability or through the measurement of signifi cant parameters.

Hellenic Aerospace Industries (HAI) holds the responsibility for depot-level maintenance and overhaul tasks. The most recent overhauls performed on the HAF’s Mirage 2000BG/EG fl eet came during their upgrade to SG3 standard.

Following the end of the Time Between Overhaul (TBO) process on the aircraft in question – which started in 2017 – the HAF opted to not proceed with some of the Mirages, due to the lack of spares available for the platform’s RDM-3 radars, as well as a delay in supplying the parts. Negotiations with France over the purchase of the Rafale was also a factor.

Rafale purchaseBoth the age and high maintenance costs of the HAF’s Mirage 2000BGM/EGM fl eet resulted in plans being initiated for the purchase of a brand-new fi ghter jet. However, the Mirage 2000 was superior in close-range air combat but, when compared to the F-16C/D, it lacked a powerful engine, which resulted in multiple crashes during air combat

Two Mirage 2000-5BGs of HAF’s 331 Mira, fl own by two of the unit’s instructor pilots (with two French instructor pilots in the rear seats) look to hook up with a tanker while fl ying a refueling mission during Exercise Skyros 2021 on February 2 AAE/Jean-Luc Brunet

Two Rafale Bs from EC 02.004 ‘La Fayette’ – 345 and 358. No 358 has recently been denuclearized but can’t be offered to the HAF as the second Rafale DG, as it is one of the newest jets. The aircraft were displayed at the briefi ng for Exercise Skyros 2021 on March 6

training over the Aegean Sea in the last three decades.

As a result, Greece opted to procure a new fighter instead of spending money on upgrading the aging type. Thus, the nation began negotiating the purchase of the Rafale with France in 2008.

On March 4, 2008, the Rafale International office was inaugurated in Athens during a ceremony that was attended by the French ambassador to Greece. Subsequently, talks quickly began for the procurement of the multi-role fighters, but it didn’t bear any fruit, due to the financial crisis faced by Greece that year.

So, Greece decided to retain its fleet of 17 Mirage 2000EGM-SG3s and three

Mirage 2000BGM-SG3s for longer. Due to the crisis, the proposed purchase of 40 Rafales was reduced to 24 in 2010, but the Greek government was still unable to finance the purchase.

As an alternative for the expensive Rafale deal, the Supreme Council of the HAF General Staff approved a program to modernize 17 Mirage 2000EGMs of the 332 Mira into Mirage 2000-5 standard in 2016.

Through this project, the aircraft were going to receive a comprehensive upgrade package. The key part of this package was going to be Thales’ RDY-3 multi-track radars, which were to replace the platform’s aging RDM-3 radars.

This would enable the use of MICA-RF active radar-guided air-to-air missiles, which are already employed by 331 Mira’s Mirage 2000-5s. However, due to ongoing financial issues, no deal was made with Dassault.

In 2020, Greece, Cyprus, Israel and Egypt saw tensions rise with Turkey over the eastern Mediterranean Sea’s energy resources. Along with an increase in TuAF fighters violating Greek airspace, the HAF’s Tactical Air Force command found it necessary to increase the number of Mirage 2000-5s by upgrading the aging Mirage 2000EGMs or by purchasing a fleet of Rafales to replace the matured fighters. The latter was decided as the more viable solution and negotiations between the French and Greek governments for the purchase restarted in August 2020.

Finally, on September 12, 2020, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis confirmed the nation’s intention to acquire

18 Rafales and illustrated the strength of the partnership during his speech in Thessaloniki, which has linked the HAF with Dassault for more than 45 years.

At the same time, Greece also began negotiating a deal with Dassault to upgrade the 24 Mirage 2000-5s (19 single-seaters, five two-seaters) currently in service with 331 Mira.

Formal contracts for the purchase of an 18-strong Rafale fleet were signed by the director general of armament and defense investments of the Greek MoD, Theodoros Lagios, and the chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, Éric Trappier, in Athens on January 25.

As part of the deal, 12 former AAE Rafales – comprising ten Rafale Cs from 118 Air Base (BA118) at Mont-de-Marsan and two Rafale Bs from 113 Air Base (BA113) at St Dizier-Robinson – and six brand-new fighters (four Rafale EGs and

two Rafale DGs) will be delivered to the HAF by 2025.

Scheduled deliveriesA few days after the deal was finalized, a Rafale B from Escadron de Chasse 01.004 (EC 01.004) ‘Gascogne’ – serial number 305 ‘4-EC’ – was transferred from BA113 St Dizier-Robinson to Bordeaux, to be prepared for delivery to the HAF as the first of four Rafale DGs. Before being transferred to EC 01.004 in 2017, this aircraft was used for flight testing and evaluating new systems for the multi-role fighter.

Prior to its delivery to Dassault Aviation, the Rafale B had some of its sensitive components removed by the engineers and technicians of the Aeronautical Technical Support Squadron 15/4 ‘Haute-Marne’ at BA113, including the control panel for the Nuclear Air-Sol Moyenne Portée (ASMPA, enhanced medium-range air-to-ground missile).

As part of current plans, Rafale B – serial 305 – will be ready for the HAF this July. However, the aircraft will remain in France until a second Rafale B and two Rafale Cs have been converted to DG/EG standard and prepared for delivery to the HAF. These four aircraft are slated to be handed over to Greece between December 2021 and January 2022.

The first new-build Rafale DG for the HAF will take flight in the summer of 2022. The two brand-new Rafale DGs and four Rafale EGs will be manufactured and delivered to Greece by the end of 2024, while two more second-hand Rafale Cs will be handed over to the HAF in 2022, followed by six more in 2023.

Training of the first group of HAF pilots began at BA118 Mont-de-Marsan in June (see ‘Rafale pilot training’). Following the end of their training, the first group of four Rafale DG/EGs will be flown to Tanagra AB by the end of January 2022.

23www.Key.Aero // August 2021

THE MIRAGE 2000 LACKED A POWERFUL ENGINE, WHICH RESULTED IN MULTIPLE CRASHES

DURING TRAINING OVER THE LAST THREE DECADES

French Rafale C 135 ‘30-GN’ operated by EC 03.030 ‘Lorraine’ is reported to be one of the five or six Rafale Cs from BA118 Mont-de-Marsan that are planned to be delivered to the HAF

However, plans could change. Instead of four aircraft being delivered to 332 Mira, six surplus AAE Rafales may arrive at the Greek base in June or July 2022. A year after their delivery, the 114 CW will have the capability of deploying the brand-new fighters to the Greek island of Skyros, for use by the 135 Combat Group in a quick reaction alert role.

Landmark exerciseOn January 20, the AAE launched Exercise Skyros 2021, which involved seven aircraft – four Rafale Bs, two Airbus A400M Atlas heavy-lift tactical transports and an Airbus A330-243MRTT Phénix multi-role tanker transport. It also involved 170 personnel.

Two Rafale Bs from the AAE’s Strategic Air Command (SAC), and Air Defense and Air Operations Command, were involved in the exercise. The two SAC examples were serials 308 ‘4-HA’ and 317 ‘4-HO’ from EC 01.004 ‘Gascogne’ and ETR 03.004 ‘Aquitaine’, respectively, while the other two were serials 324 ‘30-HW’ of Escadron de Chasse 03.030 (EC 03.030) ‘Lorraine’ and 329 ‘30-ID’ from Escadron de Chasse et d'Expérimentation 01.030 (ECE 01.030) ‘Côte d'Argent’.

More than just an autonomous force

projection and a demonstration of the AAE’s expertise, Skyros allowed France to strengthen its relationship with several states of the Eurasian region through meetings, exchanges and mutualized training, such as air-to-air combat, cross-flight air-to-air refueling, joint raids and other missions.

Each stop along the deployment provided an opportunity for the AAE to perform bilateral missions with local air arms, thanks to total co-operation. Skyros 2021 represented a major landmark for the AAE, which has the objective of being able to deploy 20 Rafales and ten Phénix MRTTs at ranges of up to 12,427 miles (20,000km) in less than 48 hours by 2023.

The AAE aircraft participating in this exercise visited Djibouti in East Africa, India, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Greece. The presence of the HAF in the latest edition of Exercise Volfa at BA118 Mont-de-Marsan in September 2020 and the participation of the AAE in Exercise Iniochos at Andravida AB, Greece, April 12-22, 2021, testified to the strengthening of bilateral exchanges between the two nations.

In Greece, Skyros 2021 was a force deployment exercise that demonstrated

the capability of the AAE to project its presence and the resolution of the HAF to welcome French military aircraft on its home soil.

The key objectives achieved by the HAF through its participation in Exercise Skyros 2021 were to provide an opportunity for 332 Mira to host AAE-operated Rafales, in order to prepare the unit for the near future – when it will operate its own examples of the multi-role fighter – and, secondly, to restore in-flight refueling skills of 331 Mira’s instructor pilots.

According to the primary responsibility officer, Lieutenant Colonel N Nicholas, who was in charge of preparing the Skyros missions, the most important goal of the HAF was to bring back the in-flight refueling capability. He explained: “When we [were] deployed to Greece, our detachment was divided in two. The Rafales and A400Ms flew to Tangara, while the A330 MRTT was flown from Athens International Airport, because of the short length of the runway [at] Tanagra.

“The Hellenic F-16s performed a lot of air-to-air refueling with [the] MRTT, but, more importantly, the Mirage 2000s performed air refueling. It was not a big challenge, but we needed to check the pilots before and do some paperwork to make sure that the Greek Mirage 2000s can perform air-to-air refueling.

“We sent two instructor pilots from Orange [BA115] to check the ability of the [HAF] pilots. After a briefing on the ground, two Greek pilots on front seats of two Mirage 2000s and the two French instructor pilots in their back seats joined the Airbus MRTT and practiced the in-flight refueling when we arrived in Greece from Egypt [on February 2].

“More training refueling flights were performed in the next few days, to improve [the] capacity of the Hellenic F-16 and Mirage 2000 pilots. It was one

August 2021 // www.Key.Aero24

SKYROS 2021 // GREEK RAFALE PURCHASE

Mirage 2000-5BG 509 of 331 Mira is seen during in-flight refueling training from an AAE-operated KC-135RG in a joint exercise in 2009. This was five years before 331 Mira pilots stopped their air-to-air refueling training AAE

RAFALE PILOT TRAINING332 Mira – currently the operator of two Mirage 2000BGMs and 16 Mirage 2000EGMs (with only a third of them operational) – will receive the 18 Rafale DG/EGs. The majority of the Rafale pilots will be selected among those who currently serve with the squadron.

Training will start at the Rafale Training Center (CFR) 23.030 at BA118 Mont-de-Marsan. This is a joint specialized training unit, which boasts a mission to create, update and distribute theoretical courses on all the Rafale variants. In addition to pilots, engineers and technicians with the four aeronautical specialties (airframe, powerplant, avionics and armament) will also be trained at BA118.

Firstly, pilots from 332 Mira will pass an Initial Qualification Training (IQT) or Basic Transition Training course on the Rafale Bs of CTR 23.030, which will include several hours of flying on the type simulators operated by Escadron de Transformation Rafale 03.004 (ETR 03.004, Rafale Transition Squadron 03.004) ‘Aquitaine’ at BA118 St Dizier-Robinson.Following the IQT course, the pilots will then pass a Mission Qualification Training (MQT) program. To become instructor pilots on the type, HAF aircrews will need to return to BA118 and pass the course with ETR 03.004. It is also highly possible that, with the presence of AAE instructors, they will receive continuation training on the first six Rafale DG/EGs after their delivery to Tanagra.

of the main objectives of the [HAF]. During the exercise, Greek Mirage 2000 pilots fl ew in the back seat of Rafales and witnessed in-fl ight refueling from the Airbus A330 MRTT.”

The A330-243MRTT that participated in the exercise was serial 043/F-UJCI, while the Mirage 2000-5BGs of 331 Mira – which were used for the in-fl ight refueling training of HAF pilots – were serials 508 and 509.

The French A400Ms provided logistics support for Skyros 2021 and transferred aircraft ground equipment – that was not readily available from the HAF – to Tanagra. These aircraft were serials 008/F-RBAU and 073/F-RBAN.

On March 6, the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, paid a visit to BA113 St Dizier-Robinson, to be briefed about Skyros 2021. Combat Aircraft Journal

interviewed her about how the interaction of the AAE with the HAF during the exercise contributed to the Greek Rafale program. She explained: “The Skyros exercise was a very good way to interact between the [AAE] and the [HAF] – it is not the fi rst time [we’ve done] that. The [HAF] operates Mirage 2000 fi ghters already and Greece has decided to acquire Rafales. Some of the Rafales here in St Dizier will be transferred to the [HAF].

“Skyros 2021 provided a great opportunity for the [AAE’s] Rafale pilots to share their skills with [HAF] pilots during the exercise. Tanagra [AB] was chosen by the Greek authorities for the [AAE] to deploy its aircraft and participate in the exercise. It was a relevant decision to do so because, in the future, the Greek Rafales will be based there,” Parly added.

The HAF’s Mirage 2000-5 pilots had the

knowledge and skill of performing in-fl ight refueling until 2014, when the air arm’s last LTV A-7E Corsair II ground attack aircraft and two-seat TA-7E combat trainers were retired from operational service.

The A-7E/TA-7E were the only aircraft in HAF service that were capable of being used in an air-to-air refueling role, thanks to their D-704 buddy refueling pods. Current plans state that Greece will purchase at least three in-fl ight refueling pods for the HAF’s future Rafale fl eet, allowing them to be used in a tanker role in support of other Rafale/Mirage 2000-5 missions from Skyros island.

The Mirage 2000 and later Mirage 2000-5 enabled the HAF and, especially its 135 Combat Group on Skyros island, to establish air superiority over the TuAF in the Athens FIR (over the Aegean Sea) across the last 33 years.

With the Rafale EGs, the Greek air arm will be able to maintain superiority over the Turkish F-16C/Ds in aerial combat, and improve its stand-off attack and anti-ship

capabilities, thanks to the Rafale’s Thales RBE2 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.

In the last 30 years, the HAF has lost 12 Mirage 2000s and one Mirage 2000-5EG – mainly due to engine issues, such as lack of adequate power during dogfi ghts or loss of engine due to technical fi res or foreign object damage (bird strikes).

However, this will not happen with the Rafale, thanks to its fault localization systems, as well as its two powerful Snecma M88-4e afterburning turbofans. The powerplant provides 50.04kN (11,250lbf) of maximum dry thrust each and 75kN (17,000lbf) of maximum afterburning thrust, each compared to the Mirage 2000’s single Snecma M53-P2 turbofan engine, which provides 64kN (14,300lbf) of maximum dry thrust and 95kN (21,384lbf) with the afterburner engaged.

Adding a substantial upgrade to the HAF’s fl eet, albeit more than a decade after initial purchase discussions, the addition of the Rafales is to be a welcome one.

25www.Key.Aero // August 2021

FASF Rafale C 136 ’30-GE’ from EC 03.030 fl ies in formation with a HAF F-16C Block 50 and a Spanish Air Force F/A-18A Hornet during Exercise Volfa AAE/Sébastien Lafargue

HAF and AAE pilots pose for a photo during Exercise Volfa at Mont-de-Marsan in September 2020 Hellenic Air Force