April 25, 2024

Athens News

News in English from Greece

First 6 Rafales arrive in Greece blessed with holy water

The loud roar of the first six Rafales flying over the Acropolis on Wednesday afternoon was heard throughout the Greek capital. It must have been the most expensive sound ever heard.

The flight cost (fuel only) of each fighter per hour is estimated to be at least 14,000 euros, and that’s not counting depreciation and depreciation, which increase this figure several times over.

According to the country’s leadership, “the flight over the Acropolis was a symbolic but convincing evidence of the defense capability of Greece.”

#greece‘s #Rafale flying over #Acropolis #Athens
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— George Mastropavlos (@g_mastropavlos) January 19, 2022

Rafale aircraft flew out from Istria in France and landed at the 114th Tanagra Air Base in northern Attica after flying over the sacred rock of the Acropolis. At the Tanagra air base, the landing Rafale was greeted with a water salute, and then the priests blessed the planes, sprinkled the super-expensive plane with holy water. What do French manufacturers Dassult know about technology, advanced electronics and weapon systems? No Rafale would be safe in the sky without Greek Orthodox holy water sprayed by respected priests.

+15 Magic penetration
+20 armor penetration
+30 Magic Resist
+10% Cooldown reduction
+5% Movement Speed pic.twitter.com/QolLs9DOrd

— Άγγελος εκ νέου Μονακό (@DrFreeHugs) January 19, 2022

+15 Magic Penetration +20 Armor Penetration +30 Magic Resistance +10% Cooldown Reduction +5% Movement Speed “.

“The country proudly welcomes new acquisitions, the first 6 of 24 modern Rafales,” said Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the beginning of his speech, speaking of a superweapon “that will strengthen the country at the geopolitical level.”

“This is a prime example of how Greece is changing and prospering – both defensively and diplomatically. The new aircraft are here 16 months after they were ordered, ready for combat as crews and support teams have completed their training,” he stressed, adding that the remaining aircraft will arrive in 2022. The purchase of 5th generation fighter jets by Greece is changing the military balance in the region, especially with respect to neighboring Turkey.

Reportedly, Greece has allocated almost 2.5 billion euros for the purchase of 18 Rafale aircraft, 12 used by the French Air Force and six new ones built by the Parisian military contractor Dassault. Greece also plans to acquire six more Rafale jets at a later date and spend an additional 3 billion euros to buy three new French-made frigates.

The opposition sees the arms purchase as France’s “gratitude” for its support of Greece in the conflict with Turkey. For France, these purchases became a big support after Australia “dumped” her with the purchase of submarines.

But any holiday needs to be paid for with something, while 30% of Greeks live on the verge of poverty due to the consequences of the pandemic. Many cannot afford heating and are unable to pay their electricity bills due to soaring energy prices and the daily death toll due to the coronavirus. Not to mention more than 16 deaths since the start of the heating season in November due to cheap heating appliances.

Έρχονται. ????#Rafale pic.twitter.com/uYOOfBP1rt

— ΝΕΑ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ (@neademokratia) January 18, 2022

In the meantime, opposition parties SYRIZA, KINAL and KKE lambasted the government for the “fiesta” and criticized a Rafale promotional video uploaded by the ruling New Democracy bearing the party’s logo.

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