2024-07-17T16:37:00+03:00 Politics 2024-09-15T04:14:33+03:00

Ukrainian news

Greece will hand over its old F-16s to Ukraine - media

Greece will hand over its old F-16s to Ukraine - media

Greece is considering the possibility of decommissioning 32 old F-16 Block-30 fighter jets, in order to send them to the United States for modernization and subsequent transfer to Ukraine.

This was reported by Al Jazeera with reference to sources.

Greece plans to upgrade 82 F-16 fighters to the Block-70 version for its Air Force and purchase 24 fourth-generation Rafale fighters from France.

The US Congress also approved Greece's bid for the purchase of up to 40 fifth-generation F-35 multi-purpose fighters.

At the same time, some military experts fear that the transfer of dozens of fighter jets may negatively affect Greece's defense capabilities.

In April, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that the country needs F-16 fighters for defense, so they will not be transferred to Ukraine, although Greece condemns russia and supports the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

According to the media, Ukraine plans to receive six F-16 aircraft already this summer, and by the end of the year their number may increase to 20.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on July 10, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the Netherlands and Denmark had begun transferring F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine needs at least 128 F-16 fighter jets to effectively counter russia.