US navy to use retired us F‑16s after Greek deal falls through
The United States wanted to purchase several dozen F-16 fighters from Greece, but contrary to media reports, the planes would not have been sent to Ukraine. The plans for their use were entirely different.
In March this year, Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias officially announced that the sale of older F-16 and Mirage 2000 fighters is planned as part of the "biggest reform program in the history of the modern Greek state". In July, Al Jazeera, among others, reported that the United States would purchase F-16 fighters from Greece and then transfer them to Ukraine. However, that scenario will not come to fruition.
Greek F-16s not for Ukraine
A press release from Fighter Squadron Composite 13 (VFC-13) revealed that the Greek F-16 fighters were considered planes to serve the US Navy during exercises and play the role of "aggressors." However, the negotiations fell through, resulting in these tasks being carried out by F-16 fighters who retired from service in the US military.
"After encountering issues with the purchase from Greece, we took advantage of the Air Force’s plan to retire more than 30 F-16s with between 2,000 and 3,000 flight hours remaining. This led to a successful transfer agreement for 30 aircraft, 26 of which were allocated for Navy use, with 12 specifically designated for VFC-13," said Traver Fordham, VFC-13 Executive Director, quoted by the Alert5 portal.
After the retirement of outdated F/A-18s, VFC-13 had only 12 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet units at its disposal. Acquiring used F-16s was urgent.
What F-16s did Greece retire?
Greece decided to retire over 30 F-16 fighters in the F-16C (single-seat) and F-16D (two-seat) versions. As explained by Karolina Modzelewska, a journalist for Wirtualna Polska, these are aircraft acquired in the late 1980s, which underwent modernisation in the second half of the 1990s that extended their lifespan from 4,000 to 8,000 flight hours (6,400 to 12,800 km).
They are capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 2 (over 1,900 kph) and can operate at an altitude of up to 15,000 metres. They measure almost 15 metres in length, and their takeoff weight is nearly 17 tonnes. The armament they carry can weigh up to 7 tonnes and includes, among others, AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-120 AMRAAM, Python-4, AGM-65 Maverick, AGM-88 HARM, or Penguin missiles, as well as bombs. As a standard, the manufacturer installed a 20 mm six-barrel cannon.
