Lockheed Martin will supply up to 40 new fighter aircraft to the Greek air force following the signing of a letter of offer and acceptance through a U.S. government foreign military sale. With an initial sale value of $3.5 billion, the LOA also covers options for 20 additional aircraft, taking the potential value to as much as $8.6 billion.
Deliveries of the F-35s will begin in 2028, according to Lockheed, as Greece becomes the 19th country to adopt the Joint Strike Fighter jets.
Greece is in proceeding with a staged rebuilding of its defense platform, which is primarily situated as a territorial defense against its traditional ally, Turkey. Turkey is a former member of the F-35 program that exited the partnership in 2919 when it acquired Russian-made surface-to-air missiles.
Earlier this year the U.S. Dept. of State approved a sale of 40 F-35 aircraft, with 42 Pratt & Whitney F135 engines, and various supporting technologies for secure communications and electronic warfare systems, plus training, logistics, and maintenance support services.
U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Mike Schmidt, who heads the Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program Office stated, "the F-35 will provide exceptional capability to the Hellenic Air Force, build interoperability between our allies, and strengthen the combat effectiveness for all of NATO."
The F-35 Lightning II is a single-engine, Stealth-enabled aircraft designed for deployment for ground attack and combat, and available in three variants. Headed by Lockheed, the F-35 is the largest U.S. defense program and involves hundreds of system and component suppliers from the U.S. and 18 other participating nations.
"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," stated Lockheed’s Bridget Lauderdale, vice president and general manager of the F-35 program. "The F-35 is the only fighter suitable to strengthen Greece's sovereignty and operational capability with allies."
