Greece to make formal request for F-35s from US

Greece will be making a formal request for the purchase of an undisclosed number of advanced F-35 fighter jets from the United States after a decision for their acquisition was signed in Athens on Wednesday.

Athens had already made its intentions known during Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ trip to Washington last month, while Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos and the chief of the National Defense General Staff, Konstantinos Floros, are expected to travel to the US on July 28.

The acquisition of F-35s would “strengthen Greece’s defense capabilities, deepen US-Greek NATO interoperability, securing regional stability,” US Ambassador to Greece George Tsunis, said in a tweet following a meeting last week between Panagiotopoulos and officials from the Joint Strike Fighter Program Office, which Tsunis had attended.

Source: ekthimerini.com