The first of three FDI HN “Belharra” frigates ordered for the Hellenic Navy was launched on Wednesday at the Naval Group site in Lorient, France.
Greek electronic media (eg Enikos) write that Tasos Rozolis, President and CEO of the company “ΑΚΜΩΝ”, as President of ΣΕΚΠΥ (ASSOCIATION OF GREEK DEFENSE MATERIALS MANUFACTURERS), is plotting to obtain subcontracting work for French frigates, disproportionate to his weight and experience.
The launch of the frigate “KIMON” took place in the presence of the Greek Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias, his French counterpart Sebastian Lecornu, the Chief of the General Staff of the Greek Navy Vice Admiral Ioannis Drimoussis and a large number of dignitaries.
The frigate “KIMON” has a length of 122 m, a maximum speed of 27 knots and is equipped with advanced digital technologies such as a panoramic sensor module, a state-of-the-art CAPTAS-4 sonar system and a fully digital Sea Fire radar.
Video: “Belharra” launching into the water.
The first of three frigates is expected to be delivered to Greece within a year. The contract was signed between Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis and French President Macron in 2021.
https://rua.gr/news/gospol/43878-gretsiya-obyavila-o-priobretenii-u-frantsii-6-voennykh-korablej.html
The cost of each frigate is one billion eurosreports MEGA TV, adding that this is the first ship for the Greek Navy after a 25-year break.
How the French are fooling the Greeks with Belharra frigates and Rafale fighters
At the beginning of 2023, several conflicts arose in the Greek defense industry over two large purchases of Rafale fighters and Belharra frigates, which, by order of the Prime Minister’s office, were not included in joint production.
The match that lit the fire was a foreign publication that praises the Group Navale project and clearly emphasizes that Tasos Rozolis, as president and representative of ΣΕΚΠΥ, mainly promotes the interests of his company “ΑΚΜΩΝ”.
The fire subsequently spread to Mesogeia and Inofyta, where almost all of the highest turnover defense plants in the industry are located, where ΣΕΚΠΥ members openly expressed their dissatisfaction that they were all excluded from the cogeneration project award process. In fact, during the public discussion of the arguments between Enikos and Tasos Rozoli, a key question was asked to the president of ΣΕΚΠΥ: “Is it true or not that the French company asked for a tender from three companies, but in the end told the other two not to participate in the tender because the project had already been awarded to you Why, Mr. Rosolini, is there such a rush to hand over to you a project that, apparently, would cost them less than the other two companies?
However, the fight that broke out between the president of ΣΕΚΠΥ and members of the association appears to be taking place in someone else’s barn. For, as Enikos aptly notes, “it would be nice if specific CONTRACTS (from NAVAL and Dassault) were announced to see whether the “crumbs” were really shared in relation to the billions of deliveries…”.
As reported previouslythe French corporation Dassault, having received $2.5 billion in advance payment from Greece, is now trying his best get an additional 30 million to support Rafale.
For a year and a half, the French were demonstrably indifferent to the fulfillment of this treaty obligation. And now that the situation has reached the point of breaking the treaty, Dassault officials are scurrying back and forth between Athens and Paris to find a formula that will make the French appear to be acting in accordance with the agreements reached.
There is another very important point: compensation payments from past years from the Mirage 2000-5 programs, in relation to which there are suspicions and accusations of inflating prices in favor of Dassault and to the detriment of the Greek state.
Mr Peskov, Dassault’s central compensation coordinator, is being sought in Athens to provide some clarification to the Directorate General of Armaments as he is called to testify in court.
The match that lit the fire was a foreign publication that praises the Group Navale project and clearly emphasizes that Tasos Rozolis, as president and representative of ΣΕΚΠΥ, mainly promotes the interests of his company “ΑΚΜΩΝ”.
The fire subsequently spread to Mesogeia and Inofyta, where almost all of the highest turnover defense plants in the industry are located, where ΣΕΚΠΥ members openly expressed their dissatisfaction that they were all excluded from the cogeneration project award process. In fact, during the public discussion of the arguments between Enikos and Tasos Rozoli, a key question was asked to the president of ΣΕΚΠΥ: “Is it true or not that the French company asked for a tender from three companies, but in the end told the other two not to participate in the tender because the project had already been awarded to you Why, Mr. Rosolini, is there such a rush to hand over to you a project that, apparently, would cost them less than the other two companies?
However, the fight that broke out between the president of ΣΕΚΠΥ and members of the association appears to be taking place in someone else’s barn. For, as Enikos aptly notes, “it would be nice if specific CONTRACTS (from NAVAL and Dassault) were announced to see if the “crumbs” were really shared in relation to the billions of deliveries…”.
As reported previouslythe French corporation Dassault, having received $2.5 billion in advance payment from Greece, is now trying his best get an additional 30 million to support Rafale.
For a year and a half, the French were demonstrably indifferent to the fulfillment of this treaty obligation. And now that the situation has reached the point of breaking the treaty, Dassault officials are scurrying back and forth between Athens and Paris to find a formula that will make the French appear to be acting in accordance with the agreements reached.
There is another very important point: compensation payments from past years from the Mirage 2000-5 programs, in relation to which there are suspicions and accusations of inflating prices in favor of Dassault and to the detriment of the Greek state.
Mr Peskov, Dassault’s central compensation coordinator, is being sought in Athens to provide some clarification to the Directorate General of Armaments as he is called to testify in court.
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