F-16 upgrade on course with letter soon
It is reportedly only a matter of a few days before the General Staff of the Hellenic Air Force sends the letter of request to the United States for the upgrade of 38 F-16 Block 50 aircraft.
The letter would resolve another pending issue in the modernization efforts of the Hellenic Air Force and its transformation into one of the most significant in the wider region.
The modernization of the 38 F-16s will take place at Nea Anchialos Air Base, while at the same time, the upgrade of the F-16 Viper is continuing at Hellenic Aerospace Industry (EAB).
Two F-16 Vipers are already ready and the time of their delivery in the coming months is being discussed between the Hellenic Air Force and that of the US, in order to start the training of their pilots in Greece.
Chief of General Staff Themistocles Bourolias has an open, multi-year horizon ahead of him, within which the Hellenic Air Force will acquire even stronger operational capabilities.
At the same time, there is also a clear plan for the older F-16 Block 30s.
Accordingly, the older F-16s are not going to be transferred anywhere outside Greece, nor is there any plan to give them away, but they will remain operationally active as they carry a huge workload in the Aegean on a daily basis.
Instead, ways to keep them at high availability are being considered, while a number of them will be converted into training aircraft for new fighters as an introduction to the future fleet of the newer F-16 Viper, Block 52+ Advanced and upgraded Block 50 types.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the air force is reportedly pleased regarding the essential part of the flight training of the new pilots. Moreover, the cooperation with Israel’s Elbit at the 120 Air Training Wing in Kalamata has led to a sharp increase in the availability of T-6s trainers.
