Greece is making a formal request for the purchase of an number of advanced F-35 fighter jets from the United States. The decision for their acquisition was signed in Athens on Wednesday and the Letter of Request is expected to be sent in the next hours, media reported.
Athens had already made its intentions known during Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ visit to Washington in May month, while Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos and the chief of the National Defense General Staff, Konstantinos Floros, are expected to travel to the US on July 28.
Note that in December 2021, the US Congress passed the US-Greece Defense and Inter-parliamentary Partnership Act opening the way for the purchase of F-35 fighter jests in the future by Greece.
In January 2020, it was Defense Minister Panagiotopoulos who had revealed the acquisition of 24 F-35 for 3 billion US Dollars.
The Letter of Request (LoR) is the first step in a long process.
According to exclusive information from SKAI TV, Greece is requesting the deployment of 20 F35 aircraft, as previously announced by the Prime Minister, and of another 20 jest under condition.
The immediate start of the procedures for the acquisition of F-35 aircraft was announced by the Minister of National Defense Nikos Panagiotopoulos in the aftermath of the Prime Minister’s visit to the USA.
The Minister of National Defense had a meeting a month ago with executives of the program Joint Strike Fighter Program Office for the F-35 fighter aircraft.
Panagiotopoulos had stated that the General Staffs will take the necessary actions, in the context of the current procedure for the supply of defense equipment.
During the meeting, it was stressed that the acquisition of F-35 aircraft, which will further strengthen the country’s deterrence capability and the interoperability of the Greek and US Armed Forces, reflects the strategic level of bilateral defense relations.
Athens is reportedly focusing on buying 24 F-35 stealth fighters.
After the LoR has been sent , Greece will reportedly wait for the response of the American side regarding the availability, the cost as well as the delivery schedule.
The process is time consuming, however, both sides are determined to complete it within the next year.
With the positive response of the USA to the Greek request, the processes of concluding the agreement will begin and then the production, the training of the pilots and the technical staff.
If everything goes smoothly the delivery of the new 5th generation fighters will start from 2028.
At the same time, work must be done on the infrastructure of the Combat Wing that will house the new fighters.
However exponentially better than its previous dishonest and corrupt president, this new pinnacle of political stagnation and “stupid son of a ” car salesman can’t even pass laws.
Instead, he maintains many of the past administration’s hyper protectionist policies. He even praised the dangerous Muslim autocrat for doing a good job recently and seeks to rubber stamp selling this saber rattling menace F16 upgrades.
Even Psaki’s replacement is a joke looking saw from the camera and barely audible. No wonder he can’t pass laws while maintaining policies of a past mad man. Talk about a leadership crisis of weakness and a sycophant self interests against principle in the world’s most powerful country, enough to embolden Russia into invading Ukraine.
America needs leadership and the candidates are either not there or not forthcoming!