The Greek Ministry of Defense announced on Monday December 23 that it had signed maintenance contracts with French companies Dassault Aviation, Safran Military Engines and Thales to upgrade the Mirage 2000-5 combat aircraft operated by the Hellenic Air Force.

These contracts extend over seven years and relate to the upgrade and sustainment of the aircraft’s electronics and of its engines.

The agreement was announced in early December, when Parliament passed legislation to strengthen the air force. According to Greek press reports, the value of the contracts amounts to €260 million.

The firms involved are Dassault Aviation, Thalès, who supplies radar, avionics and other on-board electronics, and Safran, who supplies the engines.

In September 2004, Greece modernized its Mirage 2000 fleet for a first time, upgrading ten of them to the new 2000-5 Mk2 standard, and also ordered 15 additional new-build aircraft – the final Mirage 2000s produced.

The Mirage 2000-5 Mk.2s have a more powerful RDY-2 multifunction radar, MICA air-to-air missiles, additional air-to-ground capabilities with the SCALP-EG cruise missiles, a new self-protection system, new inertial navigation (INS) and an in-flight refueling capacity using a pod.

Source: www.defense-aerospace.com