The Greek government has officially confirmed its plan to acquire 20 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II aircraft by signing a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) under a US government Foreign Military Sale. The LOA also provides the possibility of purchasing an additional 20 aircraft.
Greece received approval from the US State Department in January to acquire a maximum of 40 F-35A conventional takeoff and landing variants, with an estimated cost of USD 8.6 billion. Currently, the purchase includes only 20 jets, amounting to USD 3.76 billion. The delivery of these aircraft is scheduled to commence in 2028 and is projected to continue until 2033. The F-35A jets will be stationed at Andravida, Greece.
“We are excited to welcome Greece into the F-35 enterprise,” said Air Force Lt. Gen. Mike Schmidt, director and program executive officer, F-35 Joint Program Office. “The F-35 will provide exceptional capability to the Hellenic Air Force, build interoperability between our allies and strengthen the combat effectiveness for all of NATO.”
“For several decades, the Hellenic Air Force has been our partner, and it is our honor to continue that relationship as Greece becomes the 19th nation to join the F-35 program,” said Bridget Lauderdale, Lockheed Martin’s vice president and general manager of the F-35 program. “The F-35 is the only fighter suitable to strengthen Greece’s sovereignty and operational capability with allies.”
Lockheed Martin has stated that the F-35 is quickly becoming the preferred fighter for NATO, offering excellent interoperability with NATO and other allied assets. This capability provides a significant advantage for the US and its allies, ensuring strategic superiority for decades to come. By the 2030s, more than 600 F-35s will be operational in over 10 European countries, with two full US F-35 squadrons stationed at Royal Air Force Lakenheath.
“The F-35’s growing presence across Europe is a powerful testament of alliance-based deterrence and is setting the foundation for NATO and allied nations’ next generation air power capability,” said Mara Motherway, Lockheed Martin vice president of Strategy and Business Development.
To date, the F-35 operates from 32 bases worldwide, with 10 nations operating F-35s on home soil. There are nearly 1,000 aircraft operational with more than 860,000 flight hours fleetwide.
