AEROMEDIA
The Italian Aerospace Information Web
by Aeromedia - corso Giambone 46/18 - 10135 Torino (Italy)

Greece close to buy new defence products

The Greek Defence Ministry took important decisions regarding the procurement of some new defence equipments, destined to update both the Army and the Air Force. A total of 170 Krauss-Maffei Leopard II-A5s will reequip the armoured units: the German tank was preferred to various other contenders comprising the French GIAT Leclerc, the General Dynamics Abrams M1A2 of the United States, the Vickers (BAE Systems) Challenger II made in UK, the Russian model T-80U and the T-84 from Ukraine. Besides a consortium formed by Raytheon, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems secured the sale of new avionic suites to be installed on sixty Greek F-16 fighters.
As their next tactical transporter, Greece preferred C-27J Spartan, produced by Alenia (Italy) and Lockheed Martin (USA), against the eternal rival EADS (CASA) C-295. This 400 million € contract, still to be defined in its details, comprises a firm order for 12 aircraft and 3 options, excluding logistic support and personnell training. The purchase has been favoured by industrial compensations proposed to HAI (Hellenic Aircraft Industries) and other local companies. Spartan is also the subject of another order close to be signed, this time by the Italian Air Force, for the replacement of 12 ageing G 222.

In the picture: LMATTS (Lockheed-Martin Alenia Tactical Transport System) C-27J Spartan I-FBAX on landing after its flying display, Paris Air Show 2001. (photo by Aeromedia)

(Aeromedia, March 2002)