Military jets set for return to Greek Independence Day parade
Military aircraft will take part in Tuesday’s Independence Day parade in Athens for the first time since 2010, when the events were pared down to save taxpayers’ money.
There will be flyovers by 12 air force jets, eight army helicopters and five navy choppers during the parade, which is held every year to mark the beginning of the Greek uprising against Ottoman occupation in 1821.
The S-300 surface-to-air missiles that were recently installed in Crete will also be on show during the parade. Defense Ministry sources insisted that the cost of this year’s parade would be kept as low as possible and that the participation of the aircraft would not be an added burden because it would be factored into the minimum flying time they are allocated every six months.
In 2010, the two annual military parades held in Athens and Thessaloniki cost a total of 3.1 million euros.
