In an interview with APE, vice-captain (I) Demosthenes Grigoriadis, Chief of the Hellenic Air Force General Staff (A/HAFGS), spoke, among other things, about the armament programs of the Hellenic Air Force.

In particular, he stated that all of the programs proceed with realism and rationality for the Air Force of the Future. This will consist of modern fighting aircraft Viper and Rafale (of which the last six will be received by the end of the year and the total will be 24), but also, of course, the 20 F-35s, of which the first eight will arrive in 2030. 

Greece will have received them in 2028 in the USA, where the first 16 Greek pilots and technicians will be trained there, so that they will come to Greece in 2030, while then it will proceed with the option of another 20 aircraft, that is, 40 total F-35, described the Chief of HAFGS of Greece.

Specifically regarding the F-16 Viper, the Chief of HAFGS stated that the program is going well, as the Hellenic Aerospace Industry is delivering the Vipers on time and will soon fill the gap that has arisen, which is small. According to the Chief of HAFGS, almost two squadrons are ready, while the Block 50s will also be upgraded to Viper in anticipation of the US proposal in September.

With regard to the version of the F-35 fighter that Greece will acquire, the Chief of HAFGS commented in response that the Hellenic Air Force is moving in the direction of receiving the Block 4/TR3 version, while the Greek F-35 will have the latest package.

Also read: BAE Systems | State-of-the-Art Electronic Warfare system for the F-35s

Referring to the weapons that the fighters will carry, the Chief of HAFGS spoke about the need for proper planning.  He also mentioned in the first phase that weapons for the Greek F-35s exist, recalling that they will be able to carry the Meteor missile.

Regarding procurement possibilities, Mr. Grigoriadis explained that the US has authorized the acquisition of several weapons, such as the AMRAAAM, with the AMRAAAM AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile variant in the 120D version being estimated to be released next year, and the AGM-158 JASSM, which is a weapon with a range of 1000 km. All this, along with Harpoon, Rampage, and SPICE, are on the agenda, the Chief of HAFGS emphasized.

When asked whether the Greek F-35s will have special systems for the Hellenic Air Force, the Chief of HAFGS noted that this is not the case but emphasized that the systems that the Israelis have installed specifically for their own F-35s, if Greece requests it, are in the rare position of being approved for its acquisition.

Regarding the acquisition of new self-protection systems for up to 120+ Greek Vipers, if a new program is completed, the Chief of HAFGS replied that they will acquire them, while at the moment there are three proposals.

When the procurement in question proceeds, the Hellenic Air Force will acquire the offered system as a second user with a lower price, the Chief of HAFGS added. In addition, as he noted, the Hellenic Air Force will get the license from the Americans, and from there on a system will be taken that will be tested and programmed by the Hellenic Air Force. That is, while everyone may have this system, what matters is the jamming bands that someone will put into the program so that the Hellenic Air Force has its own library, the Chief of HAFGS explained.

The Chief of HAFGS respondent also answered about purchases of smart systems such as active decoy systems, saying that a study is going to be done, which can be cross-sectoral, and they will proceed with similar actions. Regarding the cooperation of the Hellenic Air Force with HCDI, the Chief of HAFGS said that they have submitted proposals that they have matured, which range from GPS jammers to drones. 

Also read: USA | F-16 Viper Shield EW for allied countries

Vice Captain Grigoriadis, when asked in the context of the effort for the development of Greek Unmanned Aircraft, if there will be the possibility of cooperation of such “made in Greece” drones with the Greek F-35 in the future, replied that a fighter manufacturing company will do whatever you ask of it as long as the price of a request is agreed upon.

As far as the Rafale is concerned, the Hellenic Air Force has 18, within September two more are coming, and by the end of the year they expect the remaining four. The aircraft are fully operational, already performing readiness, national and NATO, and are at the level they need to be at this time to undertake operations. There are six more on the wishlist, the Chief of HAFGS said, who, when asked if the additional aircraft would be of the F4 version in a possible acquisition of another six, explained that whether any additional pieces occur, something more in terms of block is to be considered. 

Regarding the purchase of aerial refueling aircraft, Vice Captain Grigoriadis explained that such a possibility has always been on the “list” of the Hellenic Air Force, and at the moment the request of the HAFGS is four Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers from those released by the USA in 2025 through the process of hot transfer, i.e., direct transfer in full operational condition to the Hellenic Air Force.

Also read: France | First Rafale F4.1 fighter aircraft reaches initial operational capability