India is considering the offer from Greece to buy the French-made Mirage 2000 fighters that have been phased out by the Hellenic Airforce.
The offer is being seriously considered in New Dehli as the offer price is reasonable and comes with spares, including engines and air-to-air weapons, India’s Times Now reports.
According to the report Greece’s offer amounts to Rs 500 crores per plane, which is roughly less than $7 million. A source told the Indian outlet that “it is a steal”. India is also considering buying the phased-out Mirage 2000 from Qatar.
Greece currently has 24 Mirage 2000 fighter jets and has offered 18 Mirage-2000s. These are older planes and they can be broken up and used for spares.
Greece overhauls the Hellenic Airforce
Athens has recently announced a major overhaul of the Hellenic Air Force (HAF) which essentially involves the decommissioning and sale of F-16 and Mirage 2000 fighter jets. India and Ukraine have been cited as possible buyers.
Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias highlighted the need for the Air Force to be streamlined, pointing out that the variety of aircraft types in the current fleet was a burden. The fundamental driver behind the decision to downsize the fighter jet fleet was the exorbitant expense of maintenance.
“We need to make some very radical changes in the weapons systems [operated by the HAF], … everything needs to change,” Dendias said.
Currently, the Indian Air Force maintains an estimated inventory of 49 Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets. However, this number is prone to fluctuations due to various factors such as routine maintenance, system upgrades, and potential decommissioning.
The Dassault Mirage 2000 is a French multirole, single-engine, delta wing, fourth-generation jet fighter manufactured by Dassault Aviation. It was designed in the late 1970s. It evolved into a multirole aircraft with several variants developed, with sales to several nations.
It was later developed into the Mirage 2000N and 2000D strike variants, the improved Mirage 2000-5, and several export variants. Over 600 aircraft were built and it has been in service with nine nations.
Mirage sale as part of Greece-India alliance
Greece and India are recognized as strategic military allies. The two nations signed a military agreement in April 2024 which marked a significant milestone in the two countries’ bilateral relations.
The agreement involves joint military exercises and activities with personnel and assets from all three branches of the armed forces, including special forces. Greek military forces will participate in large-scale national exercises in India and vice versa, while both army forces will take part in upcoming international exercises planned to take place in Athens and New Delhi.
nearly four years ago in response to the concerning ties between Pakistan and Turkey. During 2020, escalating tensions in the Mediterranean Sea, combined with Greece’s commitments to resolving the territorial dispute with Ankara over continental shelf borders and regional gas fields, were high on the discussion agenda.
The agreement followed a series of recent developments in Greek-Indian diplomatic and military ties. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Athens in August 2023 was followed by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ trip to New Delhi last February.
The two leaders agreed to deepen relations and create strategic partnerships in several areas, including cyber security and the economy.