The Hellenic Air Force (HAF) is sending a message of deterrence and strength, as its staffs have been having hectic meetings in recent days with company representatives.
The topics of the meetings are, on the one hand, the presentation on behalf of the company "BIRD Aerosystems Ltd" of the capabilities of the Airborne E-A Missile Self-Protection System for the FALCON 7X aircraft, and on the other hand, the presentation on behalf of the company "MBDA UK Ltd" of the Beyond Visual Range Air to Air Missile (BVRAAM) "Meteor" missile that it manufactures for the F-35 aircraft.
The FALCON 7X is a VIP Transport Aircraft and has the capacity to carry 12 people.
The Air Force received it free of charge, with the initial training of the pilots and support for one year, worth a total of €3.2m, covered by the French side.
The concession resulted from an amendment to the Compensatory Benefits (CBA) contract, which was pending since the purchase of the Mirage-2000-5 mkii and due to the purchase of the Rafale and the re-approach of the Greek and French sides, the transfer of the used aircraft (built in 2017, 1,246 flight hours - 359 cycles) was uncosted, i.e. without deducting its value from the balance of the CBA.
A meeting of great importance was held at the GOC, between staff and MBDA representatives, on the use of the Meteor by the F-35. Specifically, in a statement the MoD said: "On Wednesday 14 June 2023, a meeting was held, at the General Staff of the Air Force (GSAF), between representatives of the company "MBDA UK Ltd", Mr. Alex Michell (Senior Sales Manager) and Mr. Savio Babu (Technical Executive), and relevant staff of the GSAF."
Meteor is an air-to-air missile with active guidance for beyond visual range (BVRAAM) firing. It offers multi-fire capability (multiple launches against multiple targets) and has the ability to engage highly manoeuvrable targets, such as fighters and small targets such as UAVs and cruise missiles, in a heavy electronic countermeasure (ECM) environment with a range of well over 150 km.
Its long range and top no escape zone, combined with its stealth capabilities, allows the Meteor to produce deadly results since the enemy fighter is unable to detect, let alone recognize or react to the incoming threat.
The Meteor, developed by MBDA, was developed to equip the Eurofighter Typhoon, Rafale and Gripen. It is also compatible with other fighter aircraft and will be integrated into the F-35 Lightning II .
The Meteor's outstanding performance is achieved through its unique propulsion system (solid fuel, variable flow, ducted rocket). This engine provides the rocket with controlled thrust all the way through, providing the longest no escape zone of any air-to-air missile (60km).
The METEOR rocket, which stays in the air for much longer thanks to the RamJet propulsion system, has almost 3 times the range of the AIM-120 rocket.
It is also equipped with a two-way datalink, which allows the launching fighter to provide it with target updates or retargeting during the flight to the target. The datalink, is capable of transmitting information such as kinematic status, while notifying targeting and finding the target from the missile's sensors.
It should be noted that, the combination of upgrading the existing Greek F-16 fleet (according to Lockheed Martin, Greece will then have the most advanced F-16s in Europe) combined with the Rafale will give Greece a notable qualitative advantage and ensure the dominance of the Air Force in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.
With the completion of the F-16 VIPER upgrade programme and the reinforced 332 Hawk Squadron with 24 Rafale F3Rs, the total number of fighters exchanging network-centric data via Link 16 and AESA radar will be 108. A significant force with many additional assets offered by the multitude of sensors they carry.
From this we conclude that Meteor is an amazing asset, an unprecedented force multiplier for the Greek Armed Forces, which has dramatically changed the game in the Aegean in our favour and has made our neighbours lose sleep.
