Greece to pay 2.3 bln euros for 18 French Rafale fighter jets

Greece will pay a total of 2.3 billion euros ($2.8 billion) under a deal it is due to sign soon with France for the purchase of 18 Dassault-made Rafale fighter jets, its government spokesman said on Thursday.

Greece will buy six newly-built and 12 second-hand Rafale jets for 1.92 billion euros and pay another 400 million for their equipment, Stelios Petsas told a televised briefing.

Athens aims to boost its armed forces and defence capability with new jets, frigates and arms, as tensions over energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean region grow and relations with neighbor Turkey are fraught with disagreements.

The first six used jets will be delivered around June and the rest by the middle of 2023, Petsas added. [Reuters]