Hellenic Air Force

Greece's defense minister has received the findings of an administrative inquiry (EDE) regarding the explosions that occurred due to an out-of-control wildfire at an ammunition depot on a Hellenic Air Force base near Volos in central Greece on July 27. On Friday, the head of the Armed Forces presented the report to the minister.

The Hellenic Air Force (HAF) received its 10th upgraded F-16 Viper fighter jet on Wednesday, as announced by Lockheed Martin and the Hellenic Aerospace Industry.

The HAF will receive a total of 84 upgraded fighters by 2027.

As noted, a total of 84 aircraft will be upgraded to the Viper configuration by 2027.

HAF receives tenth upgraded F-16 Viper fighter jetHAF receives tenth upgraded F-16 Viper fighter jetThe Hellenic Air Force received its tenth upgraded F-16 Viper configuration fighter jet on Wednesday as announced by Lockheed Martin and the Hellenic Aerospace Industry. The HAF will receive a total of 84 upgraded fighters by 2027.

Some conclusions are reportedly emerging from an administrative inquiry (EDE) confirming that the explosions at the ammo depot on a Hellenic Air Force base last Friday in central Greece were caused by the general-purpose air-to-ground bombs (iron bombs) stored in above-ground facilities that were exposed to the heat load of the wildfire that was raging in the vicinity. 

The 111th Combat Wing at Nea Anchialos, near the city of Volos in central Greece, is considered one of the Hellenic Air Force's jewels in the crown. The wing's base is home to nearly half of Greece's F-16 fighters, specifically 70 out of 154. It is multi-mission, with squadrons specializing in interception, suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD), attack and advanced training.

The Hellenic Air Force has begun to gradually move its F-16s stationed at the Nea Anchialos Air Base as wildfires have begun to threaten the base itself.

The flames have already engulfed parts of the town of Nea Anchialos and earlier they triggered a series of major explosions at the air base's ammunition dump.

The wildfires raging on the islands of Rhodes, Evia, Corfu and several locations in mainland Greece caused the first human casualties Tuesday.

Two Greek Air Force pilots died on the island of Evia when a Canadair CL-215 firefighting plane crashed near the town of Karystos shortly after 2 p.m., an Air Force spokesman announced.

The first upgraded F-16 Viper of the Hellenic Air Force is returning to Greece following 2.5 years of exhaustive testing at the US Air Force aerospace facility in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Turkish and Greek navies have joined a NATO maritime exercise in the eastern Mediterranean amid a visible improvement in ties between the two neighboring states who have recently been at odds over overlapping territorial claims in the Aegean and Mediterranean.

The American commitment to reinforce Greece with fifth-generation fighter jets, along with the sale of a number of more sophisticated F-16s, is indicative, at least for now, of Washington's wish to maintain a certain balance of air power in the Aegean.