Greece is reportedly turning its sights on a Japanese-made plane to replace its aging and increasingly hard-pressed fleet of firefighting planes, according to a report this week in the Japanese daily “Nikkei”, which cited anonymous sources.
The report comes after the deadliest wildfire in the country, and one of the worst worldwide, hit eastern Attica prefecture last Monday. The death toll a week later stands at 91, with some 26 people officially declared as missing.
According to the paper, Athens is interested in the US-2 aircraft, manufactured by ShinMaywa Industries. The amphibious aircraft has been initially designed for air-sea rescue operations.
Any deal would be the first major defense procurement by Greece from a Japanese supplier. Nikkei put the cost of each plane at around 70 million euros.
