Greece mulls selling retired F‑16 jets to boost Ukrainian defence

Al Jazeera reports that Greece is considering selling 32 F-16 fighter jets to the United States, which could later be transferred to Ukraine. These are older machines in the Block-30 version. Greece plans to retire them from service as it modernises 82 F-16 fighters to the Block-70 version. The country has also purchased 24 Rafale fighters from France, and their deliveries are currently underway. Greece might also acquire F-35s, as at the beginning of 2024, the US authorities approved the sale of 40 F-35A aircraft to Athens.

Greece is retiring the F-16 Block-30 fighters from service due to their technical condition not allowing for an upgrade to the Block-70 variant. According to Al Jazeera, Athens is considering selling them to the United States, which would repair and modernise the machines and then transfer them to Ukraine. The Ukrainian service "Militarny" notes that such a move is related to Greece presenting itself as an ally of Ukraine and "plans to purchase new F-35 fighters at the expense of selling American F-16s."

In the late 1980s, Greece ordered 40 multifunctional F-16C/D Block 30 aircraft. These machines underwent modernisation in the second half of the 1990s. This involved a general overhaul of the aeroplanes and replacing four structural components of the fuselage. This way, Greece increased the aircraft's lifespan from 6,400 to 12,900 kilometres. Some fighters were also equipped with LANTIRN modules, an integrated navigation and targeting system, to improve their target identification and tracking capabilities.

F-16C/Ds in the Block 30 version are not the newest aircraft, but an additional 32 machines would allow Ukrainians to form several fighter squadrons. Combined with 60 F-16 fighters that Kyiv is to receive from other Western allies, including the Netherlands and Norway, this would increase Ukraine's capabilities in air defence, conduct air-to-ground and air-to-air attacks, and disrupt the electronic signals of Russian radars.

The Greek authorities have not yet officially responded to reports about selling F-16 fighters. It is therefore not known if such a transaction will take place at all. It is also not known how long it would take the Americans to potentially repair and modernise the Greek F-16s and when the machines could be delivered to Ukraine.