The first pair of upgraded F-16 military jets was delivered to Greece’s air force on Monday under a $1.5 billion program to modernize its fighter fleet, which comes amid increasing tensions with neighboring Türkiye.
The two F-16s presented at the Tanagra air base northwest of Athens are the first of 83 to be refitted with advanced electronics, radar and weapons capabilities by late 2027 by Greece’s Hellenic Aerospace Industry, in coordination with U.S. manufacturer Lockheed Martin.
The head of Greece’s joint chiefs of staff, Gen. Constantinos Floros, said the program’s successful and timely completion "is an issue of the highest national importance."
"Any potential aggressor will have to think twice or thrice before trying their luck," once the upgrade is completed, he said at Monday’s presentation.
Relations between Greece and Türkiye have deteriorated and hit a new low in recent weeks. Ankara accuses Athens of illegally militarizing demilitarized islands in the Aegean Sea and questions Greece’s sovereignty over them.
The two neighbors and fellow NATO members are at odds over a number of issues, including competing claims over jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean, overlapping claims over their continental shelves, maritime boundaries, air space, energy, the ethnically split island of Cyprus, the status of the islands in the Aegean Sea and migrants.
Asked Sunday by The Associated Press (AP) whether the recent escalation could be the prelude to an armed conflict, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis replied negatively.
"I don’t believe this will ever happen," he said.
On Monday, Mitsotakis said Athens "always keeps a window open to dialogue and discussion" with Türkiye. He spoke in Paris ahead of talks with French President Emmanuel Macron.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in May said Mitsotakis "no longer exists for him" and declared all other channels of communication between the countries closed.
Erdoğan’s remarks came after the Greek premier lobbied for the United States not to sell Türkiye F-16 fighter jets during a speech at the U.S. Congress in May.
Türkiye has been seeking to modernize its air fleet and has sought to buy 40 F-16 jets and modernization kits from the U.S. President Joe Biden has said he supports the sale and that he would work to convince lawmakers to deliver the F-16 jets for Türkiye’s air force.
Erdoğan on Friday said his country may turn to other countries such as Russia if the U.S. fails to follow through on its promise to deliver F-16s after a bill recently approved by American lawmakers created a new hurdle for any purchase by Türkiye.
The House of Representatives in July approved legislation that would bar the sale to Ankara unless the Biden administration certifies that doing so is essential to U.S. national security. It also includes a description of concrete steps taken to ensure they are not used for "unauthorized overflights" of Greece.
Ankara has been voicing its firm opposition to any conditions on the sale of the jets.
Erdoğan expressed hope for the U.S. to "not lead" Türkiye to "different tracks."
"The U.S. is not the only one selling warplanes in the world. The U.K., France and Russia sell them as well," he said. "It’s possible to procure them from other places, and others are sending us signals."
The sale of U.S. weapons to Türkiye became contentious after Ankara acquired Russian-made S-400 defense missile systems. The deal triggered U.S. sanctions as well as Türkiye’s removal from the F-35 fighter jet program.
Following years of forced savings, Greece has embarked on a multibillion-dollar spending spree to boost its armed forces. It has bought or ordered French Rafale fighter jets and FDI frigates, and plans to purchase F-35 fighters from the U.S.
The F-16s, developed in the 1970s, are the workhorse of Greece’s air force. It acquired the first batch of 40 in 1989, and another 130 over the years. The latest upgrade will bring 83 planes to the Block 72 variant that's the most advanced F-16 version in service in Europe.
Another four F-16s will be upgraded by the end of this year.