Hello, this thread will be revolving around sources, information and general discussion for the recently announced Greek and Cypriot Subtree for Israel. The initial post will revolve around some highlights of this Subtree and how they’ll be added to War Thunder, Starting off with the Greek (Hellenic) Air Force’s top additions:
HAF Dassault Rafale-EG -
In 2021, Greece saw delivery of their first Rafale EG aircraft, the first batch of these were old French Rafale F.3s modified for F.3R standards, while later batches were manufactured at the F.3R standard, The Greeks totalled a purchase of 24 aircraft, with 18 single-seater Rafale EGs and 6 two-seaters Rafale DGs.
Specifications
Functionally Identical to the French Rafale we see in War Thunder:
Length: 15.27 m
Wingspan: 10.90 m
Height: 5.34 m
Wing Loading: 310 kg/m
Engines: 2 x SNECMA M88-2 (Each Maximum Thrust - 4,900 kgf/Afterburner Thrust - 7,330 kgf)
Max takeoff weight: 24,500 kg
Armaments
Again, should be Functionally Identical to French Rafale in game:
AAMs: Magic-2 (for balance), MICA-EM, MICA-IR (when added), Meteor BVRAAM (when added)
Cannon: NEXTER 30mm autocannon
Bombs/AGMs: GBU 12/16/24, AASM Hammer series
Avionics
Radar - RBE2 AA AESA/IRST
Defensive Suite - SPECTRA ECM/DASS
Additional Avionics: MAWs, ECM, 360 RWR, CMs
Overall, the Greek Rafale should be functionally identical to the current one we see in game, and personally I expect the buffs made to the French one to carry over here (Primarily the 8x MICA Loadout), this will give Israel some amazing variety to their top tier aircraft, and will act as a nice change of pace from the F-16/F-15s of the last couple of years and offer Israel a taste of power in the upper echelons of Air RB, while providing an immensely capable CAS platform to compliment aircraft like the F-16I and F-15I, and the main vehicle I am looking forward to with this Subtree.
HAF Dassault Mirage 2000-5EG -
In 2000, Greece signed a contract for 15 new Mirage 2000-5Mk2s, with an extra 10 older airframes being modified to new standard (M2K-5EGM). The €1.3 billion Mirage contract also consisted of weapons and equipment, as well as industrial offsets that permitted Hellenic Aviation Industries to keep producing the SNECMA M53-P2 engines.
Specification
Length: 14.36 m
Wingspan: 9.13 m
Height: 5.2 m
Wing Loading: 287 kg/m2
Engines: SNECMA M53-P2 (Maximum - 6,200 kgf/Afterburner - 9,690 kgf)
Max takeoff weight: 17,000 kg
Armaments
AAMs: Magic-2 , MICA-EM, MICA-IR (when added)
Cannon: 2x DEFA 554 30mm autocannons
Bombs/AGMs: GBU 12/16/24, PGM-1000/2000, AASM-250 (maybe)
Avionics
Radar - RDY-2 Multimode PD radar
Defensive Suite - ICMS Mk3 digital countermeasures suite
Additional Avionics: MAWs, ECM, 360 RWR, CMs
This’ll be pretty close to the French and Taiwanese Mirage 2000-5s, and equipped with a lot of the CAS options the Taiwanese one lacks, it’ll add another amazing 4th gen airframe to Israel, and some incredible liveries. This jet is another 10/10 Multirole addition for the Subtree, and would bolster Israeli top tier some more.
HAF F-16V Block 72 -
The Hellenic Air Force has had a long history of operating F-16 models, especially the C/D models, and in 2017, America offered the HAF 123 upgrade kits for their pre-existing fleet of Block 50/52s, These new upgrade kits featured new avionics, a new radar, new weapons compatibility, an updated cockpit, and a plethora of other changes to modernise the aging fleet.
Specifications
Specified from the HAF website:
- Crew: 1 (C model), 2 (D model)
- Engine: 1 Pratt & Whitney F100-PW 229/ 29100 lbf thrust
- Wingspan: 9,96 m
- Length: 15,06 m
- Maximum Speed: 2173 km/h or 2,05 Mach
- Service Ceiling: 15,240m or 50,000 ft
Armaments
AAMs: AIM-9M/X, AIM-120C-5/8
Cannon: M61 Vuclan 20mm autocannon
Bombs/AGMs: GBU 12/16/24, AGM-65s, JDAMs, AGM-88 (when added)
Avionics
Radar - AN/APG-83 AESA
Defensive Suite - ALQ-211 (V)4 AIDEWS
Additional Avionics: ECM, All-Freq RWR, 160 CMs
While this may seem very similar to the recent F-16I Sufa, added with Tusk Force, the provisions provided by the Block 72 are a brand new AESA radar, something to bridge the gap between Israeli 4th gens and newer aircraft (Like Rafale EG and F-35I) with a capable AESA option. This will give Israeli Air a viable, yet similar airframe but with newer avionics and a marginally better flight model, making it the ultimate A-A F-16.
Thanks For Reading:
Please feel free to add you own suggestions and discuss the numerous Aircraft I chose not to include (Earlier Mirages, F-16C/D, F-4 Modernised, Mirage F1s, etc), and furthermore the addition to Israel, as i’d like to see your opinions on what is needed vs what’s coming and so on.
Please keep it civil though, on topic discussion encouraged.
