Greece: The Court of Accounts blocked the contract for the purchase of Air Tractor firefighters

Purchase of 25 Air Tractor firefighting aircraft for Greece was actually disrupted: the court blocked a contract worth almost 155 million euros.

Procurement program for 25 Air Tractor firefighting aircraft efforts to strengthen aerial firefighting in Greece have effectively reached a dead end. According to a Greek publication, 7th department (Court of Auditors of Greece) blocked the signing of a supply contract 25 single-engine turboprop aircraft total cost 154,858,600 euros.

Briefly about the main thing

• The contract concerned the purchase 25 Air Tractor firefighting aircraft.
• The cost of the program was estimated at almost 155 million euros.
• The signing of the agreement was blocked Court of Auditors of Greece.
• The reason was information that the temporary contractor hid a serious criminal record in a criminal case of corruption its general director in Spain.
• Herself the purchase has long raised questions due to the characteristics of the aircraft and selection procedures.

Why was the contract blocked?

The reason was information that the temporary contractor, according to the publication, did not inform the Greek authorities about criminal record its managing director in Spain in the case of unfair competition And bribery.

This is exactly what, according to the publication, became grounds for blocking signing a contract. If this information is confirmed by the decision materials, then the issue is no longer only about the aircraft, but about the quality of the contractor’s verification. The state was going to spend almost 155 million eurosbut, apparently, did not see what should have been verified before reaching the final stage of the deal.

What’s wrong with Air Tractor

Purchase Air Tractor AT-802 was criticized even before the current decision. The main argument of critics is that these aircraft are limited in capabilities compared to larger specialized firefighting aircraft.

The publication states that Air Tractor capable of carrying about 3 tons of waterwhereas Canadair CL-415 takes more 6 tons, Be-200 – near 12 tonsA IL-76 – more 42 tons. Even old ones PZL transport about 2.2 tons water or fire retardant.

Separately, critics pointed to the limited ability to draw water during strong waves. In the conditions of the Greek summer, when fires are often accompanied by strong winds, this is not a trifle, but a matter of real operational efficiency. An aircraft that requires calmer conditions or additional infrastructure for refueling may not always be the “quick fix” that looks good in the presentation.

The main issue is not only technology

Controversy around Air Tractor cannot be reduced only to technical characteristics. Small aircraft can actually be used for patrol, rapid first response and early stage fire work. But the question is different: why did this particular purchase, on exactly these terms and through exactly such a contractor, reach the stage where it had to be blocked by a court decision.

If the country burns every year, and citizens wait every summer to see where the next fire front will break out, the state is obliged to purchase equipment as transparently as possible. Not through beautiful statements, not through convenient presentations, but through strict verification: what we buy, from whom we buy, how much we pay and what real problem this technology solves.

Political damage

For the government this story extremely unpleasant. The purchase was submitted as part of strengthening the aerial fire extinguishing system. Now, instead of new aircraft, the country received a blocked contract, questions for the contractor and doubts about the very logic of the choice.

This looks especially painful against the backdrop of constant statements about modernization of civil protection. When it comes to fires, any failed procurement is more than just a bureaucratic failure. This is a potential hole in the country’s security system. And the hole behind €154.8 million. Not a bad price for another lesson that you need to check contractors before a scandal, and not after.

Editorial comment

History with Air Tractor shows an old problem in Greek public procurement: the solution is first presented as a modernization, then questions about the procedures, contractors and the meaning of the purchase itself are clarified. As a result, citizens are again explained that everything was done for the sake of safety, but for some reason safety was stuck between the contract, the court and someone else’s criminal record.

Greece indeed modern fire extinguishing equipment is needed. But the country doesn’t just need new planes “for reporting purposes,” and a technique that suits the real conditions of Greek fires: mountains, wind, islands, hot summers, fast fire fronts and limited reaction times.

The answer is an open secret: These deals don’t appear out of thin air. If almost 155 million euros almost went for a controversial purchase through a contractor with criminal pastMeans, someone this scheme was prepared, someone promoted it and someone should have checked it out. The main question now is not only why the contract was stopped, but why Why did he even get to this stage?.

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