US approves combat aircraft for Greece, Turkey

Greece is set to join the growing group of European and international allies operating the F-35, with the US State Department approving the sale of up to 40 aircraft. (Royal Norwegian Air Force)

The United States has approved combat aircraft sales to Greece and Turkey worth a combined USD31.6 billion.

In two separate notifications posted at the same time on 26 January, the US State Department approved the sale of new Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft to Greece, and new and modernised Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft to Turkey.

“The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sales [FMS] to the government of Greece of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) aircraft and related equipment for an estimated cost of USD8.6 billion,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said of the first approval. “The State Department has made a determination approving a possible FMS to the Republic of [Turkey] of F-16 aircraft acquisition and modernisation and related equipment for an estimated cost of USD23.0 billion,” it said of the second approval.

For Greece, the F-35A approval covers up to 40 aircraft, related equipment, spares, training, and support. Weapons were not included in the notification, likely following in a later approval. “The F-35 will offset the increasing obsolescence of other Hellenic Air Force aircraft such as the [McDonnell Douglas] F-4 [Phantom II] and [Dassault] Mirage 2000. Greece will have no difficulty absorbing these articles and services into its armed forces,” the DSCA said.