U.S. Air Force Capt. Melanie “MACH” Kluesner, F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team pilot and commander, flies an aerial demonstration certification flight at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Feb. 22, 2024. Upon the 388th Fighter Wing commander certification, the F-35 Demo Team pilot is required to complete the Air Combat Command Heritage Flight Training Course. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kaitlyn Ergish)
FARNBOROUGH 2024 — Greece has officially signed off on the procurement of 20 F-35A Joint Strike Fighters, becoming the 19th country to operate the Lockheed Martin-made fifth-generation jet, according to defense minister Nikos Dendias.
“Greece is building powerful armed forces by purchasing the most modern combat aircraft in the world,” Dendias said about the agreement, according to a translation from EPT News.
The deal gives the NATO nation a major modernization boost for its air force, replacing older F-4 and Mirage 2000 aircraft. In January, Greece was cleared by the US State Department to purchase up to 40 F-35A conventional take off and landing variants, for an estimated $8.6 billion.
For now, the buy is just the 20 jets, for $3.76 billion. Deliveries of the aircraft will begin in 2028, and are expected to run through 2033. The jets will be based at Andravida, Greece.
“For several decades, the Hellenic Air Force has been our partner, and it is our honor to continue that relationship as Greece becomes the 19th nation to join the F-35 program,” Bridget Lauderdale, Lockheed’s vice president and general manager of the F-35 program, said in a company release. “The F-35 is the only fighter suitable to strengthen Greece’s sovereignty and operational capability with allies.”
Greece getting F-35 was a politically challenging situation given long-running tensions between Greece and Turkey, another NATO nation and a former member of the F-35 program that was expelled after buying Russian air defense equipment. Those tensions were underlined earlier this week when Greek Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis casually threatened the use of the F-35 against Turkish territory.
“With F-35s, we can go to Türkiye one night. One night, you will suddenly find them in Ankara. I am not saying we will actually do it, but Türkiye should know that they have nothing when it comes to aviation” capabilities vs the F-35, Georgiadis said, according to local media.
Lockheed, meanwhile, painted Athens’ entry into the F-35 program as a continuation of its dogged international expansion.
“The F-35’s growing presence across Europe is a powerful testament of alliance-based deterrence and is setting the foundation for NATO and allied nations’ next generation air power capability,” said Mara Motherway, Lockheed vice president of Strategy and Business Development.
