On January 9, 2025, the final Dassault Rafale fighter jet ordered by Greece was delivered to Tanagra Air Base, completing the country’s acquisition of 24 aircraft for the Hellenic Air Force’s 332nd Fighter Squadron. This squadron is now the only one in Greece equipped with the Rafale F3R multirole fighter.

The procurement process began with a contract signed on January 25, 2021, for 18 Rafales, with the delivery spanning from 2022 to 2023. To expedite the process, Greece received 12 of these aircraft from the French Air Force, while six were newly manufactured. A second contract, signed on March 24, 2022, added six additional newly produced jets. The first Rafale arrived in Greece in July 2021, and Greek pilots ferried the first six jets to Tanagra by January 2022.

The Greek fleet now consists of 18 single-seat Rafale EGs and six two-seat Rafale DGs, replacing the older Mirage 2000EGM/BGM jets. Despite the positive reception of the Rafale, Greece is already planning for future capabilities. On July 25, 2024, Greece’s Defence Minister announced the purchase of 20 F-35A fighters, with deliveries expected to begin in 2030

The Dassault Rafale is a French, twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft that covers the full range of operational missions. It can cover multiple roles simultaneously (omnirole), allowing different missions to be carried out during the same flight.

The Rafale has 14 External hardpoints and can carry up to 9.5 tons of external loads. It can carry a large number of weapons, including the long-range Meteor air-to-air missile, MICA EM and IR missiles, the SCALP EG cruise missile and the Exocet AM39 Block 2 Mod 2 air-to- surface missile, as well as precision weapons such as the GBU 12/16/24 and AASM, while carrying a 30 mm gun. The aircraft are based at 114 Combat Wing at Tanagra and belong to 332 Squadron with the call sign «Hawk».