F-35: The Countdown. At a time when the American authorities are already processing the Greek LOR, with which the “blue wings” are now officially and in writing entering the 5th generation Stealth fighter program, the intensive “tutorial” of the Americans for the Executives of our Air Force in order to be introduced to the secrets of the F-35 began.
A group of Americans from the JPO (Joint Program Office) program has been in Greece for the last few days and is informing selected HAF Officers who in the coming years will carry the “heavy” load of running the program and preparing infrastructure and personnel for the “jump” of the Air Force in the next generation of fighters.
USAF staff together with staff responsible for the equipment as well as specialized staff from the manufacturing company Lockheed Martin give their “lights” to the first “core” of Greek Staff on how to integrate the F-35 into the HAF arsenal in the fastest time and with the best results.
Participation in the F-35 program follows a specific design and implementation while presupposing a series of procedures that are carried out by each air force that enters the closed club of those who acquire the “invisible” classified fighter. Every step is done in collaboration with the relevant Executives of the JPO program as well as the Executives of Lockheed Martin until the fighters land and afterwards.
The exact same procedure has been followed in all countries and air forces that have already acquired F-35s. But in the case of Greece, everything shows that the Americans appear willing to speed up the developments. And together with HAF to arrange every detail so that when the written LOA response from the USA arrives, not a single day is lost for the next steps. An answer which is expected by the summer of 2023, although the positive climate emitted by Washington increases the chances of a shorter response from the Americans.
One of the most important issues to which the HAF Staff are asked to answer the Americans is the choice of the “nest” of the F-35. The Air Base that will host the invisible fighters is a key parameter on which Greeks and Americans will work in the coming years in order to prepare the next base of the most powerful but at the same time “top secret” fighter that the Air Force will have in its arsenal in the coming decades.
As Newpost has already reported, the candidate Bases are Araxos, Andravida and Souda. But as the evaluation progresses, it seems that the two Air Bases in Western Greece, the 116th Fighter Wing in Araxos and the 117th in Andravida, are gaining a very strong lead for purely operational reasons, with the 115th Wing in Crete losing ground. Both ‘Favorite Bases’ have their own merits with HAF Staffs making the final decision.
Choosing the F-35 “nest” is a prerequisite for the Americans to shape their final response via LOA to configuration, cost and connectivity issues. An answer which is expected to be given within the next period until the end of 2022. After all, the Americans are not only processing the Greek LOR since other countries have “already joined the queue” in order to acquire F-35.
The Greek F-35, as well as all Stealth fighters destined for European air forces, are expected to be built in Cameri in northwestern Italy near Milan. There, the manufacturing company has set up the FACO (Final Assembly and Check Out) production line, which has recently been operating at Fast Track rates in order to meet the increased demand.
In the classified and strictly guarded factory in Cameri, the first “falcon” of our Air Force, Vice Admiral Themistocles Bourolias, was found last week. The GEA Chief saw up close how the stealth fighters are manufactured and was reportedly impressed by the speed and strict protocols with which the aircraft are assembled and undergo final checks.
In total, more than 860 F-35s have been built and delivered by all Lockheed Martin factories so far, with close to 600,000 flight hours. Nearly 1,900 are trained Stealth fighter pilots and more than 13,000 are maintenance and support technicians.
