Market: Greece to submit request for purchase of 20 Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets, sources say


ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece is expected to send a formal request to the United States in the coming days for the purchase of 20 F-35 fighter jets made by Lockheed Martin, defense sources said on Thursday.

Greece, a member of NATO, has stepped up its military purchases in recent years as tensions with its neighbor, historic rival and also member of the Atlantic Alliance, Turkey, have resurfaced.

“The relevant document has been signed,” one of the sources said. Deliveries of these jets will begin in 2027-2028.

The signed request letter is expected to be submitted to the US Embassy in Athens this week. This is the first step in a multi-phase process, according to public broadcaster ERT.

The Defense Ministry also wants to modernize F-16 fighter jets, the TV channel added.

On Wednesday, the United States backed the potential sale of American F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.

(Report Renee Maltezou and Lefteris Papadimas, French version Alizée Degorce, edited by Kate Entringer)

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