First delivery of F-35 stealth fighters to Greece expected in late 2028

An F-35 combatant pitchy is seen taking disconnected from the amphibious battle vessel USS America.

The transportation of the archetypal F-35 made for the Hellenic Air Force is expected to take spot astatine the extremity of 2028 based connected existent conditions, Gary North, vice president for lawsuit requirements astatine Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, tells Kathimerini.

North said helium believes that unmanned systems will augment but not regenerate quality capabilities.

What is the existent timeline for Greece’s information successful the F-35 program, and what are the adjacent steps we should expect?

Greece is the 19th federation to articulation the F-35 program, aligning with respective European countries to further heighten planetary airpower and 21st period security.  The Hellenic Air Force, the Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin officially kicked disconnected the the Greece F-35 programme successful May. Production of Greek jets begins successful Lot 20, for which long-lead procurement has begun. Full accumulation is slated for 2027, with archetypal transportation presently expected successful precocious 2028.

How could the F-35 heighten interoperability with the existing and planned systems of the Hellenic Armed Forces? In that regard, what are the main needs of the Hellenic Air Force?

Lockheed Martin platforms, including caller MH-60Rs, upgraded F-16Vs and existing F-16s, C-130s and S-70Bs, supply Greece with extended capabilities for air, onshore and oversea operations. Together, with aboriginal F-35s and UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, these capabilities will importantly heighten Greece’s deterrence. With the F-35’s unprecedented quality to harvester battlefield quality and technology and stock it instantaneously crossed each domain, the Hellenic Air Force will person an overwhelming borderline successful capableness implicit the alternatives. The F-35 doesn’t conscionable summation interoperability within the Hellenic Air Force – it is besides a cornerstone for interoperability with NATO. The F-35’s increasing beingness crossed Europe is simply a almighty illustration of alliance-based deterrence and is mounting the instauration for NATO and allied nations’ next-generation aerial powerfulness capability.  The F-35 is the lone fifth-generation combatant available today to strengthen Greece’s sovereignty and operational capableness with allies.

You often stress that the F-35 is the lone fifth-generation combatant presently available. With your extended vocation successful the US Air Force, however bash you envision the improvement of a sixth-generation aircraft?

I flew much than 4,700 flying hours with the US Air Force, chiefly successful third- and fourth-generation craft similar the F-4G, F-15 and F-16. The fifth-generation capabilities I spot successful the F-35 today supply a important vantage implicit the fourth-generation craft I flew. At the aforesaid time, the F-35 makes craft similar the F-16 adjacent much effectual by sharing battlespace intelligence. As we look to the adjacent generation, Lockheed Martin is positioned – utilizing our learnings from sixth-generation probe and improvement – to follow adjacent much game-changing upgrades to the F-35. The craft is designed for continuous upgrades, and done ongoing λογισμικό and hardware updates and efficiencies, it continues to adhd capabilities to conscionable evolving threats. These upgrades will propulsion F-35 advantages adjacent further.

Do you judge that the increasing relation of unmanned systems successful the aerial domain could yet diminish – oregon adjacent regenerate – the constituent of quality excellence?

I spot unmanned systems augmenting quality capability, and F-35 pilots will play a captious relation successful that evolution. The F-35 is uniquely positioned to pb the aboriginal of crewed-uncrewed teaming, creating a powerful, unified force. It allows allied forces to widen the scope of networked sensors, summation the survivability of piloted platforms, and supply information collection, fusion and organisation for informed, accelerated decision-making and tactical execution. The F-35 securely shares captious targeting accusation and coordinates firepower from some manned craft and combat drones to predominate the modern battlespace. It serves arsenic the cardinal node successful the sky, enabling bid done strength successful the 21st century.

Having served successful what is considered the geopolitical halfway of gravity of the 21st period – the US Air Force Pacific Command – however bash you measure the emergence of geopolitical rivalry successful the region, particularly present that China has evolved into a powerfulness of sizeable capability?

I’ve been retired of uniform since 2012, but I still person regular conversations with planetary aerial unit leaders astir the evolving threats. Based connected what I’m hearing, I’m assured that the F-35’s unique blend of stealth, sensors and interoperability will proceed to play a captious relation successful deterring aggression and enabling peace.

The US and Lockheed Martin successful peculiar person been long-standing partners successful European defense. Do you judge there are opportunities to put and besides enactment successful what is projected to beryllium a multi-billion programme of EU rearmament?

Greece is undertaking awesome modernization efforts to amended its security, and Lockheed Martin is honored by its vital relation successful supporting the astir precocious interoperable capabilities that alteration Greece to stay up of increasing threats. The F-35 programme is an motor for economical advancement crossed spouse nations, and successful Europe, Lockheed Martin is gathering a web of concern partners to guarantee section capability, summation integrated deterrence and lend to the European economy. In fact, 25% by value of each F-35 built is produced successful Europe. In Greece, Lockheed Martin remains committed to manufacture and offers semipermanent partnerships that see the instauration of highly skilled jobs and investments successful probe and academia. Our concern practice activities successful Greece span much than two decades under the Hellenic Air Force’s F-16 programs, and we are present for the agelong term to support Greece and Europe during the astir challenging times with afloat interoperable multi-domain solutions. Economic benefits successful excess of US$1 cardinal will person been provided by the clip the existent F-16 Viper upgrade programme is completed.