Greece to Buy 20 F-35 Stealth Jets Originally Intended For Arch Rival Turkey - Reports

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has announced that his country will purchase purchase 20 F-35A stealth fighters initially intended for the Turkish Air Force, as part of a program to modernise the country’s armed forces. The purchase comes amid rising tensions between the southern European state and Turkey over territorial disputes in the eastern Mediterranean, and at a time when Ankara’s relations with Washington have hit a low point due largely to the U.S. decision to penalise the country over its purchase of Russian S-400 surface to air missile systems. Greece currently relies on F-4, F-16 and Mirage 2000 fighter jets, none of which are capable of going head to head with an S-400 system or the advanced Russian Su-35 and Su-57 fighters Turkey is currently considering purchasing. 

The F-35’s advanced sensor, stealth and electronic warfare capabilities can potentially revolutionise the Greek Air Force, and could also facilitate closer integration into NATO operations in Eastern Europe due to the fighter’s sophisticated data sharing systems. F-35s are expected to replace ageing F-4E Phantom jets in service. Although the country has suffered from poor economic conditions for over a decade, the armed forces have still been generously funded with Greece remaining one of the highest defence spenders as a proportion of GDP in the entire NATO alliance. Greece is also set to receive a small number of French Rafale jets under a deal made earlier in the year, although this has largely been motivated by the very low price at which France is offering second hand jets and its willingness to provide several aircraft free of charge and relatively quickly. With the F-35 seeing hundreds of jets on order from across the world, and having yet to enter mass production, a Greek order is expected to take several years to fulfil.