A panorama of the new capabilities acquired by the Hellenic Armed Forces (and those expected to be acquired) will be witnessed by the public at this year’s booth of the Ministry of National Defence at the 86th Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF). 

Nikos Hardalias, with a post he made on social media, invited people to the opening of the Hellenic Armed Forces pavilion at TIF, while sending the message: “Strong Greece, Strong Defence”.

The Deputy Minister of National Defence stated in a post on Facebook that on Saturday, September 10, 2022, at 1:00 p.m., he will inaugurate, together with the Minister of National Defence, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, and the Chief of the National Defence General Staff, General Konstantinos Floros, the prototype pavilion of the Hellenic Armed Forces at the 86th Thessaloniki International Fair.

Three full-scale high-tech simulators – one of the French 4.5th Generation Rafale fighter jet, one of the US 5th Generation Stealth F-35 fighter jet and one created by the Hellenic Armed Forces officials to train the pilots on missions – are expected to be the “protagonists” of our country’s booth. These are state-of-the-art systems rarely witnessed by the general public and points of interest that will be accompanied by other special presentations.

As APA MPA reports, the public will even have the opportunity to be “trained” in these simulators by active pilots of the Hellenic Air Force since they will be provided with flight instructions. With regard to the Rafale, instructions will be provided by pilots of the 114th Combat Wing, whereas in the case of the F-35 simulator, by 111th Combat Wing operators. 

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With regard to the third mission simulator (about to make its debut) that has been developed by Greeks at the Air Tactics Center for the simulation of mission preparation as well as debriefing, Greek operators of the F-16 fighter will also attend the Fair.

Furthermore, around 14 Virtual Reality systems are expected to operate next to these three impressive simulators. These systems will be presented by officers of the Hellenic Army, Hellenic Navy and Hellenic Air Force General Staff to the public.

Visitors will thus be able to experience a simulation of movement, shooting and combat with Leopard tanks as well as Special Forces training. Additionally, they will also have the opportunity to “experience” jumps from Chinook helicopters, flying attack helicopters, moving on water; activities Special Forces officers engage in while on a mission.

A large mockup of the new FDI HN or “Belharra” frigate is expected to be placed in a prominent position at the Hellenic Armed Forces’ booth, which will pique the visitors’ interest. There will also be a large mockup of the new MH-60R Romeo anti-submarine warfare helicopter that will arrive in Greece by the end of the year to join the fleet.

The public will also be able to view Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets and C-130 transport aircraft in scale, while the 70-year evolution of the country’s Armed Forces will be presented in the central hall of the pavilion.

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