The US Department of Defense has greenlit a $17.2 million contract with defence contractor Lockheed Martin to provide engineering and technical support for Greece’s inclusion into the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, marking a significant step in strengthening NATO’s southeastern flank.
The contract, aims to deliver “engineering and technical support, program management, non-recurring unique requirements, and training in support of integration efforts for the government for Greece as an F-35 Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customer,” the Department of Defence said in a press release on May 5.
Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (60%); Orlando, Florida (18%); Greenville, South Carolina (11%); El Segundo, California (5%); Lancashire, United Kingdom (4%); and Baltimore, Maryland (2%), and is expected to be completed in May 2028, it added.
Greece is overhauling its military in a decade-long program following a protracted financial crisis and continued tension with neighbor and NATO ally Turkey, over a volatile sea boundary dispute.
The Hellenic Air Force will initially acquire 20 F-35 fighter jets, at a total cost of 3.47 billion euros, while Greece maintains the option to purchase 20 additional F-35 jets as part of an $8.6 billion deal.
Athens has been seeking an advantage in the air since Turkey’s exclusion from F-35 purchases and has also acquired advanced French-made Rafale fighter jets.
The Hellenic Air Force is set to begin training its first F-35 pilots by September, with 14 pilots and 60 technicians heading to the United States this summer.