An attempt to expedite the procedures for responding to a Greek letter of request (Letter of Request) to a letter of offer and acceptance (Letter of Offer and Acceptance) of the fifth generation fighter program. F-35 the American side does. Despite the bureaucratic composition of the Pentagon mechanisms, there is a complete understanding of the situation in Hellas and the complications that could arise from an agreement to supply 20 F-35s with an option for 20 more, so it was decided that the answer would come to Athens well before the 2023 election to make room for the necessary negotiations. The acceleration of procedures, of course, is also connected with a purely technical issue. Any reaction to the “LoR for LoA” process (as it is called for short) is based on calculations that take into account current orders and deliveries, which have increased since the start of the war in Ukraine, especially in relation to the F-35.

The Pentagon study, unusual by American standards, also reflects the very positive atmosphere that prevailed in the contacts they had in succession in July in the US, initially head of GETHA Konstantinos Floros and then Minister of National Defense Nikos Panagiotopoulos. In both cases, contacts with both Pentagon officials and Lockheed Martin executives convinced the Americans that the Greek side was determined to join the F-35 program, which was in full development. It is recalled that a total cost of 40 F-35s is estimated at about 3.5 billion euros, while there should also be the appropriate infrastructure to accommodate the fifth generation aircraft, which is currently not in Greece.

The American response to the purchase of 5th generation fighters should arrive in Athens much earlier than the Pentagon bureaucracy dictates.

Three bases

OUR Air Force (AF) requested an inquiry into the suitability of three air bases and in particular the 115th Fighter Wing (FW) at Souda, the 117th FM at Andravida, and 116 BC. in Araxos. The US Air Force and Lockheed Martin studies also look at the set of measures that need to be taken to make specific air bases suitable for receiving and servicing F-35s. Obviously, the proposal for three bases located in Western Greece and Western Crete reflects the choice of P.A. keep the F-35 away from the Aegean and the eastern mainland. This is of course a choice based on the fact that even from Western Greece, the Eastern Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean are within range of the F-35.