The contract for the supply of seven new latest generation Canadair DCH-515 aircraft, at a total cost of approximately 360 million euros, is expected to be given the green light today by the plenary session of Parliament.

Five of these aircraft will be acquired through the “Aegis” programme of the Ministry of Civil Protection and Climate Crisis and two through the European Union’s rescEU programme of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

In total, the European Union and its Member States have agreed with the Government of Canada and De Havilland Canada (DHC) on the procurement of 24 latest generation Canadair.

Most of these will go to Greece and Spain – seven each – France will get four while Italy, Portugal and Croatia will each buy two aircraft. According to the timetable, deliveries of the new Canadairs are expected to be completed by 2030.

For Greece in particular, the final agreement, if ratified by the Parliament, will be signed during the visit of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Canada, which will take place in the coming days.

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It is noted that Greece, in addition to the purchase of the seven new Canadair aircraft, has sent a formal invitation to the manufacturer to undertake the upgrade of the country’s fleet of CL-415 aircraft, at a cost of 43 million euros.

Speaking to the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Production on the purchase of the Canadair, the Minister of Civil Protection and Climate Crisis, Vassilis Kikilias, said that “the supply of the Canadair is a legacy for the Fire Service, for our fellow citizens, for the country and for future generations, and it comes in addition to a very ambitious, very, very large and important programme, the AIGIS programme worth 2.1 billion euros.

For which I am pleased to announce that, based on the timetables we have set and the way we are proceeding, by the end of March-early April it will be fully tendered.”

The procurement of the new Canadair and the negotiation of the CL-415 fleet upgrade are part of the Aegis armament program actions, which includes other air assets, helicopters, amphibious, waterborne assets, and over 1,000 firefighting vehicles.