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Greece has acquired a total of 170 F-16 aircraft through the four procurement programs Peace Xenia I - IV. According to that source, 18 of these aircraft have crashed and/or wrecked out. Therefore, the number of remaining aircraft should be corrected from 154 to 152. Tags: Visual edit Mobile edit Mobile web edit |
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In 1930, the Aviation Ministry was founded, establishing the Air Force as the third branch of the [[Hellenic Armed Forces]]. The Hellenic Army Air Service and Hellenic Naval Air Service were merged into a single service, the Royal Hellenic Air Force. In 1931, the [[Hellenic Air Force Academy]], the ''[[Icarus]] School'' ([[Greek language|Greek]]: ''Σχολή Ικάρων''), was founded.
At the end of 1936, Greece ordered 36 Polish [[PZL P.24]] fighter aircraft, which
In 1939, an order for 24 [[Bloch MB.150|Marcel Bloch MB.151]] fighter aircraft was placed, but only nine of the aircraft reached Greece, since the outbreak of [[World War II]] prevented the French from completing the order. The aircraft entered service in the 24th Pursuit Squadron (MD – ''Moira Dioxis'') of the air force.
During the [[Greco–Italian War|Italian invasion of Greece]] (1940-1941) in the Second World War, although being severely outnumbered and counting only 79 aircraft against 380 fighters and bombers of the Italian [[Regia Aeronautica]],<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Piekalkiewicz|first1=Janusz|last2=Van Heurck|first2=Jan|year=1985|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jcR8AAAAIAAJ&q=Mitralexis|title=The air war, 1939–1945|publisher=[[Blandford Press]]|isbn=978-0-918678-05-8|access-date=25 March 2016|via=Google Books}}</ref> RHAF managed to successfully resist the assault. On 30 October, two days after the start of the war, there was the first air battle. Some [[Henschel Hs 126|Henschel Hs126s]] of 3/2 Flight of 3 Observation ''Mira'' took off to locate Italian Army columns. But they were intercepted and attacked by [[Fiat CR.42 Falco]]s of 393<sup>a</sup> ''Squadriglia''. A first Henschel was hit and crashed, killing its observer, [[Pilot Officer]] Evanghelos Giannaris, the first Greek [[aviator]] to die in the war. A second Hs126 was downed over [[Mount Smolikas]], killing Pilot Officer Lazaros Papamichail and [[Sergeant]] Constantine Yemenetzis.{{Sfn|Carr|2012|p=4}} On 2 November 1940, a [[Breguet 19]] intercepted the [[3 Alpine Division Julia]] while it was penetrating the [[Pindos]] mountain range in an attempt to occupy [[Metsovo]]. On the same day, 2nd Lieutenant [[Marinos Mitralexis]] having run out of ammunition, aimed the nose of his [[PZL P.24]] right into the tail of an enemy [[CANT Z.1007|
After 65 days of war, the RHAF had lost 31 officers, seven wounded, plus four [[Non-commissioned officer|NCOs]] killed and five wounded. Meanwhile, the number of [[combat aircraft]] had dropped to 28 fighters and 7 battle-worthy bombers.{{Sfn|Carr|2012|p=45}} By March 1941, the Italian invasion on air and ground had been successfully pushed back, aided by the vital contribution of the RHAF to the Greek victory. During the [[Greco-Italian War]] the Royal Hellenic Air Force shot down 68 enemy aircraft (official records) and claimed another 24. The [[Royal Air Force|British RAF]] claimed 150 additional air victories against Italian aircraft. However, the Italian Air Force recorded only 65 aircraft lost, during the entire campaign against the Greeks and later the British, with 495 additional aircraft reported as damaged.{{Sfn|Carr|2012|p=171}}
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===F-16V===
During the latter part of the Greek Economic Crisis, HAF after years of austerity decided to modernize the aging fighter fleet. It dedicated resources for the upgrade of the fleet of its existing Mirage 2000 and F-16 fighters. In 2018, [[Lockheed Martin]] was contracted to upgrade eighty-four F-16C/D Block 52+ and Block 52+ Advanced (Block 52M) to the latest [[General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon variants#F-16 Block 70/72|F-16C/D Block 70/72 (F-16V Viper)]] standard,<ref name="F-16 Greece">{{Cite web|title=F-16 Greece|url=https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/f-16/f-16-greece.html|website=LockheedMartin.com|date=2 March 2018|access-date=13 December 2019}}</ref> bringing capabilities to the fleet only available in [[Fifth-generation fighter|5th generation fighters]] such as the [[F-35 Lightning II]]. This upgrade was also considered by HAF as an essential first step for future compatibility with the F-35 fighter. While HAF's earlier F-16C/D Block 30 and Block 50 aircraft were not included in the programme, they were planned to receive equipment donated from the upgraded platforms.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.janes.com/article/85383/lm-contracted-to-upgrade-greek-f-16s|title=Lockheed Martin contracted to upgrade Greek F-16s|publisher=Janes | Latest defence and security news|access-date=21 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221145324/https://www.janes.com/article/85383/lm-contracted-to-upgrade-greek-f-16s|archive-date=21 December 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The upgrade programme is scheduled to be completed by 2027, and carried out exclusively in Greece by [[Hellenic Aerospace Industry|Hellenic Aerospace]] (HAI). As of
===F-35===
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On 27 January 2024, it was announced that the USA approved the sale of 40 F-35's to Greece. These will replace ageing aircraft such as the F-4. This was on the same day as Turkey's approval to buy 40 F-16V's
and 79 modernisation kits for its F-16C's.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Finnerty |first1=Ryan |title=USA approves F-16 sale to Turkey alongside F-35s for Greece |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/fixed-wing/usa-approves-f-16-sale-to-turkey-alongside-f-35s-for-greece/156672.article |website=flightglobal.com |publisher=Flight Global |access-date=27 January 2024}}</ref> The procurement of 20 aircraft was approved by the Hellenic Parliament on 27 June 2024.<ref>{{cite web | title=Ν.Δένδιας στη Βουλή: «Θα αποκτήσουμε 20 αεροσκάφη F-35» | website=Pronews.gr | date=2024-06-27 | url=https://www.pronews.gr/amyna-asfaleia/ypetha/n-dendias-sti-vouli-tha-apoktisoume-20-aeroskafi-f-35/ | language=el | ref={{sfnref | Pronews.gr | 2024}} | access-date=2024-07-09}}</ref>
===C-390===
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==Regional role==
===Turkey===
In international politics, the antagonism between [[Greek–Turkish relations|Greece and Turkey]] has made it imperative for HAF to maintain parity with [[Turkish Air Force]] (TAF). HAF and TAF pilots have engaged in mock [[dogfight]]s over the [[Aegean
The regional balance of power in the eastern Mediterranean was inevitably affected during the [[Greek government-debt crisis]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.balkanalysis.com/greece/2012/02/19/greece-and-turkey-offensive-and-defensive-balance-of-air-power-in-2012/|title=Greece and Turkey: offensive and defensive balance of air power in 2012|website=Balkanalysis.com|access-date=8 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109064055/http://www.balkanalysis.com/greece/2012/02/19/greece-and-turkey-offensive-and-defensive-balance-of-air-power-in-2012/|archive-date=9 January 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> However, it was subsequently restored, influenced by negative developments in Turkey's F-35 programme in 2019,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mehta|first=Aaron|date=17 July 2019|title=Turkey officially kicked out of F-35 program, costing US half a billion dollars|url=https://www.defensenews.com/air/2019/07/17/turkey-officially-kicked-out-of-f-35-program/|website=DefenseNews.com|publisher=Defense News|access-date=3 September 2019}}</ref> rise of diplomatic tensions in [[Turkey–United States relations|Turkey-US bilateral relations]] during the same period,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Erdogan: US scrapping F-35 jet deal with Turkey would be robbery|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/07/erdogan-scrapping-35-jet-deal-turkey-robbery-190704064237370.html|website=AlJazeera.com|publisher=[[Al Jazeera Media Network]]|access-date=3 September 2019}}</ref> and at the same time, the decision of Greece to direct funds towards the upgrade of its existing F-16 and Mirage 2000 fleet, and eventually to acquire new [[Fourth-generation fighter#4.5 generation|4.5 generation fighters]] in 2020. By 2023, several Rafale jets have been delivered, as well as the upgrade of F16's to the Viper variant.
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|[[Multirole combat aircraft|multirole]]
| [[General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon variants#F-16C/D|F-16C/D]]
| 152<ref>{{Cite web |title=F-16.net - The ultimate F-16, F-35 and F-22 reference |url=https://www.f-16.net/aircraft-database/F-16/mishaps-and-accidents/airforce/HAF/ |access-date=2024-07-03 |website=www.f-16.net}}</ref>
| 39 [[General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon variants#F-16C/D|D]] variants provide [[Trainer aircraft#Operational conversion|conversion training]]<ref name="World Air Forces 2024"/>
|-
| [[Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II|F-35 Lightning II]]
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| multirole
| [[F-35A]]
|
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|-
! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7"| [[Maritime patrol aircraft|Maritime Patrol]]
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!colspan=5 style="align:center; background:lavender"|[[surface-to-air missile|Surface-to-Air Missile]] (SAM)
|-
|[[MIM-104 Patriot]]||[[United States]]||SAM system|| 6 squadrons,
|-
|[[S-300 missile system|S-300 PMU 1]]||[[Russia]]||SAM system||
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|[[SA-15 Gauntlet|TOR M1]]||[[Russia]]||SAM system||4 systems, 16 launchers protecting S300 batteries<ref name=":03">{{Cite book|author=The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)|date=2023-02-15|url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781003400226|title=The Military Balance 2023|location=[[London]], England|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-003-40022-6|edition=1|doi=10.4324/9781003400226}}</ref>||
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