Lieutenant General Dimosthenis Grigoriadis, Chief of the Hellenic Air Force General Staff (HAFGS), toured the production lines of the F-35 fighter jets in Texas during an official visit to the United States this week.
The Hellenic Air Force will acquire 20 F-35 fighter jets at an estimated cost of €3.47 billion, with an option to purchase 20 more under a broader $8.6 billion defense package, a sale approved by the U.S. State Department in January 2024.
An estimated sixty percent of the work under Greece’s contract for the F-35 is done at Fort Worth, Texas, where the Greek Chief received extensive briefings.
Upon his arrival to the U.S., the Chief of the HAFGS visited the U.S. Pentagon, where he met with the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, General David Allvin. Their discussion focused on issues of mutual interest, with particular emphasis on further enhancing and upgrading bilateral defense cooperation, especially in the areas of operational capabilities and training.
General Allvin expressed his appreciation for Greece’s contribution at the Larissa Air Base, highlighting the importance of this cooperation in safeguarding regional security.
He also expressed his intention to further expand the collaboration through the provision of training by the U.S. to Hellenic Air Force staff, as well as through enhanced technical and operational support.
Subsequently, Lieutenant General Grigoriadis visited the facilities of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth, Texas, where he received a detailed briefing on the progress of the Greek F-35 program and toured the fighter aircraft production lines.
Special attention was placed on the presentation of the overall support framework for the program, particularly training systems and staff preparation. The Chief received extensive briefings on the training processes for both pilots and technical staff who will support the operation and maintenance of the Greek F-35, aimed at ensuring a high level of operational readiness.
Successive meetings were held with representatives of the competent U.S. authorities, the F-35 Program Office, and Lockheed Martin.
On a separate visit to the 188th Wing of the Air National Guard in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Lieutenant General Grigoriadis received a comprehensive briefing on the mission and activities of the unit, as Fort Smith has been designated as the training location for Greek staff on the F-35.
There he met with senior officials of the Air Education and Training Command, and with the leaders of the Wing and its Squadrons, who provided detailed information on the Greek F-35 training programs.
