ATHENS, Greece — Greece formally accepted a proposal to purchase 20 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters from the USA as a part of a significant protection overhaul, authorities officers mentioned Thursday.
“The letter of acceptance for the F-35s has been signed and despatched to the USA,” Protection Minister Nikos Dendias mentioned whereas visiting a navy air base close to Athens.
The acquisition, he mentioned, would create “a strong deterrent presence in our area.”
Supply of the fifth-generation jet made by Lockheed Martin is predicted to begin in 2028, whereas Greece maintains the choice to buy 20 extra F-35 jets as a part of an $8.6 billion deal.
The acquisition of the primary 20 jets together with extra help will price some $3.5 billion, Greek officers mentioned.
Greece is overhauling its navy in a decade-long program following a protracted monetary disaster and continued pressure with neighbor and NATO ally Turkey, principally over a unstable sea boundary dispute.
Turkey was dropped from the F-35 program 5 years in the past over its determination to purchase Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missile system, a transfer seen in the USA as a compromise to NATO safety.
In Athens, authorities spokesman Pavlos Marinakis described the present navy modernization marketing campaign as essentially the most vital in “many a long time.”
“We’ll proceed to implement this main program, equipping our nation and armoring its defenses,” Marinakis mentioned.
Athens has been looking for a bonus within the air since Turkey’s exclusion from F-35 purchases and has additionally acquired superior French-made Rafale fighter jets. Deliveries to the Greek air drive started in 2021, beginning with jets beforehand utilized by France’s navy that will probably be supplemented by new plane constructed by French protection contractor Dassault Aviation. Bridget Lauderdale, Lockheed Martin’s vice chairman and basic supervisor of the F-35 program, described the plane as being preferrred to “strengthen Greece’s sovereignty and operational functionality with allies.” “It’s our honor to proceed (our) relationship as Greece turns into the nineteenth nation to hitch the F-35 program,” she mentioned,
The U.S. State Division in January accepted the sale that would finally whole 40 F-35 plane, together with 42 engines in addition to providers and gear together with safe communications units, digital warfare techniques, coaching, logistics, and upkeep help. Present members of the F-35 program, both as individuals or by means of navy gross sales, are: the USA, Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Norway, Israel, Japan, Korea, Belgium, Poland, Singapore, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, and the Czech Republic.
