Greece signs new 4.4 billion arms deal with France

Greece on Thursday signed agreements with France and two French contractors worth some 4 billion Euros to purchase three navy frigates and six additional Rafale fighter jets, as Athens continues to strengthen its armed forces in response to tension with neighbour Turkey.

The three FDI-class French frigates will be built by defense contractor Naval Group in Lorient, in western France, to be delivered by 2026.The agreement signed Thursday includes an option to purchase a fourth frigate at a later date.

The six new Rafale jets, to be built by France's Dassault Aviation, were added to an earlier order of 18 Rafales that included planes previously in service with the French Air Force.