The Greek Air Force is one of the best in NATO. Greek pilots regularly take top positions in NATO exercises and schools. But geopolitical conditions force this highly capable NATO air force to face the Turkish Air Force on a daily basis, even though Turkey is also a member of NATO,” US media reports.
As of November, the Air Force’s active fighter inventory consists of the following aircraft:
– 153 F-16 Fighting Falcons (Block 72, Block 52+/ADV, Block 50, Block 30)
These are a total of 219 and the Hellenic Air Force will be adding and upgrading more aircraft soon.
The Rafale F3R was a surprise purchase by the Greek military and came as a direct response to Turkish aggression in spring 2019 and summer 2020. Ankara first tried to flood Greece with migrants and then triggered a limited military conflict in the Aegean.
With 14 hard points, the Rafale F3R can be quite powerful. It can carry a combination of different weapon systems, such as the Mica IR/EM air-to-air missile, GBU 12/16/24 laser-guided bombs, AASM GPS-guided bombs, SCALP EG cruise missiles and Exocet AM39 Block 2 anti-ship missiles.
What makes the Rafale F3R such a deadly fighter jet, however, is its long-range Meteor air-to-air missile. These beyond-visual-range munitions can lock on and hit enemy aircraft from a range of 90 miles, allowing the Rafale F3R to shoot down enemy aircraft outside of its weapons range.
In addition to these munitions, the Rafale F3R is equipped with a 30 mm gun.
The Greek squadron flying the Rafale F3R aircraft has just been given initial operational capability. This means that the Rafale F3Rs can undertake some but not all of the squadron’s mission sets, which are air-to-air interception and naval attack.
Of course, no overview of the Hellenic Air Force would be complete without mentioning the fleet and capabilities of the Turkish Air Force, arguably the greatest threat to Greek power.
Today, the Turkish Air Force has a fleet of 292 combat aircraft. The analysis is relatively simple: Turkey can field 234 F-16 Fighting Falcons and 48 F-4 Phantoms.
More specifically, the Turkish Air Force has 100 F-16 Block 40M, 70 F-16 Block 50M, 35 F-16 Block 30M, and 29 F-16 Block 50+ Adv. The F-4 Phantoms are used for reconnaissance and attack missions, but their age and lack of spare parts means only a small fraction of the 48 aircraft are still operational.
Following its exit from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program – a response to Turkey’s purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system a few years ago – Turkey has sought to upgrade its fleet of F-16 fighter jets. Ankara has sent a request to buy 40 F-16 Vipers and upgrade 80 of its current F-16s to the Viper unit. However, this request faces strong, bipartisan opposition in the U.S. Congress due to anti-U.S. and anti-Western behavior of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Despite its large fleet of fighter jets, the Turkish Air Force is not doing very well. After the 2016 coup attempt that failed to oust Erdogan, the Turkish Air Force lost a large number of experienced pilots and maintainers. In addition, the dramatic deterioration of relations with the US has cost the Turkish Air Force dearly in terms of spare parts. As a result, only a fraction of the 292 combat aircraft are operational. (Some estimates put the available fleet at around 150 fighters, or 50% of the total.)
The Turkish Air Force is increasingly turning to unmanned aerial systems, most notably the TB2 Bayraktar, to make up for the lack of available fighter jets.
It has already added the highly effective Rafale F3R, but the Hellenic Air Force is eyeing the F-35 as a fifth-generation fighter jet.
On the sidelines of June’s NATO summit in Spain, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece had formally expressed its intentions to buy a squadron of 24 F-35A Lighting II stealth fighter jets, with an option to buy another squadron in the future.
The Greek military followed this statement by sending a Letter of Request to the Pentagon asking about the price and availability of the F-35A. Greece’s Defense Minister and Chief of the General Staff have since visited Lockheed Martin’s headquarters and F-35 production line.
In a recent interview, Panagiotopoulos said that the F-35 Lightning II is a priority for the Hellenic Air Force. According to the minister, the Greek military is in ongoing talks with Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon for a possible purchase, which would make the Hellenic Air Force the sole user in the Balkans and the Aegean Sea of the world’s most advanced stealth fighter aircraft. . The Greek military wants to play a role in building the F-35 in order to bolster the troubled Greek defense and aerospace industry.
