Greece boosts air force with advanced French jet fighters

By DEREK GATOPOULOS
Associated Press

TANAGRA, Greece (AP) — French-built fighter jets roared over the Acropolis as Greece races to modernize its military and flaunts new security alliances aimed at checking neighboring Turkey. Six advanced Rafale jets, purchased from the French air force, flew in low formation over Athens on Wednesday before their official handover to the Greek armed forces. The multirole combat aircraft with a distinctive triangle-shaped wing were the first major delivery to result from multi-billion euro defense deals the Greek and French governments sealed last year. NATO allies Greece and Turkey have longstanding disagreements over boundaries and oil-and-gas drilling rights in the eastern Mediterranean, a dispute that flared into a tense naval stand off in 2020.