On March 24, The signatures “fell” for the acquisition of three Belharra frigates – with the option of purchasing one more – and six additional Rafale fighter jets – in addition to the 18 already acquired by the Air Force – at a ceremony held at the “Battleship George Averoff”.
The Belharra frigates
The FDI frigate (Belharra) has high capabilities in every type of battle. It covers anti-ship, anti-aircraft, anti-submarine warfare while securing defense against air or ground attacks with state-of-the-art sensors, including Thales’ Seafire, which is the first all-digital multifunction radar with active antenna and fixed pan.
It is equipped with a single fully integrated mast that has all the airborne sensors to achieve 360-degree surveillance on a permanent basis. It is the first frigate on the market to have inherent protection against cyber attacks, equipped with two data-centers that host almost all ship applications.
In terms of technical specifications, the Belharra frigate has a displacement of 4,500 tons, a length of about 122 meters, a width of 18 meters and a maximum speed of 27 knots. It has air facilities for a 10 ton helicopter and an unmanned VTOL vehicle.
Its main weapons are the Aster missiles and the MBDA Exocet MM40 B3C missiles, 76 mm cannon, MU 90 torpedoes and Naval Group CANTO countermeasures as well as the RAM missile system.
The history
Today, the Navy has frigates about 40 years old. The age of the main body of the Greek Fleet negatively affects its performance, as mentioned in the relevant debates held in Parliament, while intensifying the difficulties of supporting the electronic systems carried by ships.
In this context, the reinforcement of the Navy with modern frigates was considered an urgent need. In addition to the French offer, offers from companies from the USA, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain were examined and evaluated. The Navy deemed the French FDI best suited to meet its operational requirements. This is because they have the highest capabilities for surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare and air warfare in combination with modern missile systems.
In September 2021, Greece and France signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement for Cooperation in Defense and Security and as a result of this agreement it was agreed that the Navy would acquire three new FDI (Belharra) frigates with a “choice” option and a fourth frigate type.
The ships are built at the premises of the manufacturer Naval Group in France. Delivery time, including frigate weapons, for the first and second ships will be in 2025, for the third in 2026 and for the fourth – provided the purchase option is exercised – in 2027. As for the subsequent logistics their support, starts from the receipt of each ship and lasts for three years.
In the context of concluding contracts with the French companies involved, Naval Group and MBDA France, the participation of the Greek defense industry in the construction and maintenance of ships has been achieved.
The cost
The maximum cost of supplying frigates amounts to 3.049 billion euros. More specifically, the contract for the supply of the three frigates has a cost of 2.261 billion euros, the contract for the subsequent support of 138 million euros, while the contract for the weapons and their subsequent support for 650 million euros.
If the right to acquire a fourth frigate is exercised, the cost reaches 4.07 billion euros. These amounts do not include deductions, taxes, duties and any other costs borne by the contracts (6.144%).
The 6 extra Rafale
Greece has already acquired 18 Rafale fighter jets. The first six of them are already in Tanagra. Along with the acquisition of the Belharra frigates, the agreement was signed for the acquisition of an additional 6 Rafale aircraft for the Air Force. The agreement provides for the supply of aircraft with their equipment as well as their subsequent support.
The request to the aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation and the company MBDA France for the supply of weapons was sent in mid-September 2021. The cost of acquiring the aircraft and their subsequent support amounts to 807.6 million euros while the cost of acquiring of weapons that will carry 184 million euros. The total budget, including bookings of 6.144% and prices with an estimated revaluation of 5%, reaches 1.092 billion euros.
The six additional Rafale and their weapons will be received by the end of 2024. Specifically, the first will be delivered in July 2024 and since then one will be delivered each month until December 2024.
In addition, the duration of the subsequent support of the total of 24 Rafale aircraft is extended for three years, from 2024 to 2027, while the duration of the subsequent support of their weapons for four years, from 2024 to 2028.
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