The signing of the purchase agreement for the French-made Rafale fighter jets is scheduled for December.
Immediately after the formalization of the contract, the first four Greek pilots will leave for France to be trained with Rafale jets by the French Air Force and executives of Dassault.
They will most likely come from squadrons using the French-made Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets, although there are many applications from F-16 pilots as well.
The first four Greek pilots to be certified for the Rafale flight are planned to then train other pilots who will be selected to staff the 332nd Squadron in Tanagra, from where the French fighters will operate.
Along with the first four pilots, a team of Air Force technicians will travel to France to learn the secrets of maintaining twin-engine fighters.
Of the 18 Rafale jets Greece will acquire, 12 will be slightly used and the remaining 6 will be new.
It has been agreed that the six Rafale F3R will come to Greece with a full load of armaments, particularly Meteor and Exocet missiles.
The purchase of the 18 Rafale jets is expected to cost 2.4 billion euros - about 2 billion for twin-engine fighters and another 400 million euros for their weapons.