The Minister of National Defence, Mr. Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, attended today the delivery ceremony of the first two upgraded F-16 VIPER fighters, which was held at the premises of the Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI) in Tanagra.

The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Finance, Mr. Christos Staikouras, the Minister of Development, Mr. Adonis Georgiadis, the Deputy Minister of National Defence, Mr. Nikolaos Hardalias, HNDGS/Chief, General Konstantinos Floros, HNGS/Chief, Vice Admiral Stylianos Petrakis, HFGS/Chief, Lieutenant General Themistoklis Bourolias, HAGS/Deputy Chief, Lieutenant General Georgios Kellis, Lockheed Martin representatives, local administration officials and Church officials. The blessing ceremony was officiated by the Metropolitan Bishop of Thiva, Leivadia and Avlida, Georgios.

In his address, the Minister of National Defence stressed the following:

“Minister of Finance, Minister of Development, your presence here today is of great significance, because we have spent tens of hours together, in order to ensure the conditions in the context of the Hellenic Aerospace Industry.

Deputy Minister, Mr. Ambassador of the USA, HNDGS/Chief, HNGS/Chief, members of the Military Chain of Command, Chairman of the HAI BoD, CEO of the HAI, representative of “Lockheed Martin”, ladies and gentlemen, I am thrilled to be here today at the HAI premises, where the delivery ceremony of the first two upgraded F-16 VIPER fighters takes place.

The most advanced F-16 variant in the world to date. The cooperation of Greece with USA in the context of the F-16 program has robust foundations and goes back in time, since – as early as 1989 – our Air Force acquired the first 40 F-16 Block 30 fighters. The acceptance of 40 F-16 Block 50 subsequently followed in 1997, 60 additional F-16 Block 52+ were accepted in 2003, whereas the most recent F-16 fighters acceptance took place in 2009 with the 30 most advanced F-16 Block 52+ Advanced fighters.

Thus the implementation of the program regarding 83 F-16 Block 52+ and 52+ Advanced fighters in Viper variant started in 2020. This day marks one more milestone in the longstanding and glorious history of the Hellenic Air Force, since the first two Greek F-16 Viper fighters are integrated into its firepower, and along with their features and their advanced electronics, they will contribute to the further enhancement of the Armed Forces’ combat power and overall deterring capability.

Whereby Viper fighters as well as the new weapons to be acquired by the Hellenic Air Force, we take yet another big step towards a new era for our Armed Forces. This is imposed by the times, the threats, and the challenges currently faced by our Country.

This specific upgrade program, along with the forthcoming agreement pertaining to the upgrade of F-16 Block 50 fighters as well as to the future acquisition of the most advanced fifth-generation F-35s also reflects our strong will to have our Armed Forces equipped with the most advanced weapon systems, which shield our Country and enhance even more the strategic defence relations established between Greece and the USA. This powerful relationship is confirmed whereby our ongoing cooperation in many defence and security areas, as well as the conclusion of significant bilateral agreements, such as the first and second protocol amending the mutual defence cooperation of MDCA, signed in 2019 and 2020.

I would also like to highlight the importance for our bilateral relations of the meeting I had with my US counterpart, Lloyd Austin, in Washington on 20 July during which we discussed the expansion and the deepening of the military and defence relations between Greece and USA.

The presence of the US Ambassador and dear friend, Mr. Georgios Tsunis, confirms the depth and the prospects of our bilateral relations. The Armed Forces and more specifically, the Hellenic Air Force, render the country a powerful and reliable ally, having an active role in the developments, as well as a deterring force – a powerful deterring force – against any would-be opponent, thus promoting the stability and prosperity in the wider Eastern Mediterranean region.

The presence of my two colleagues here attests to the complete upgrade of our Country’s defence capability and constitutes a top government priority, based of course on the Prime Minister’s guidance.

I would like to take this opportunity to warmly congratulate those who contributed to this great effort for the implementation of the “Viper” program within the stipulated timeframes, the HAI personnel, as well as the members of the Hellenic Air Force so that we are able today to welcome the first upgraded fighters delivered to the Hellenic Air Force at the HAI premises.

By all means, the employees and the HAI management should take all the credit.

I should make a special reference to the excellent cooperation between HAI and Lockheed Martin and its executives. The objective and our wish is for this cooperation to become even more strategic.

HAI thus constitutes the corner stone of the country’s Defence Industry by participating in a series of Armed Forces aviation material upgrade and maintenance. We look forward to the continuance and reinforcement of the said cooperation whereby future programs – there will always be such programs while the Air Force exists. At the same time, attempts are made so that other domestic defence industry companies participate even more in different armament programs currently in progress or in their initial planning phase. They will thus contribute to the creation of new job posts, especially in areas of advanced defence technology, as well as to the overall growth and prosperity of our country.

In conclusion, I am certain that the professionalism and the high sense of duty of the personnel to staff the first F-16 “Viper” Squadron will soon render it operational so that that the new fighters will be able to fly over every inch of our country, to cover Greece, the Aegean Sea, and the territory with their wings and weapons – as I like to say – thus decisively defending our national sovereignty and sovereign rights against any would-be opponent.

Thank you”.