Hellenic Air Force

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Parliament Speaker Konstantinos Tasoulas, SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras, Movement for Change leader Fofi Gennimata and Communist Party leader Dimitris Koutsoumbas (l to r) on Wednesday attended a brief ceremony to mark Greece's Independence Day at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier outside Parliament.

Hellenic Air Force fighter jets and helicopters flew over the capital at 10.30 a.m. on Tuesday as a practice run ahead of the March 25 national holiday, the Hellenic National Defense General Staff (GEETHA) said.

A Mirage-3000 and an F-16 jet flew twice over Athens, according to GEETHA.

Government spokesman Stelios Petsas confirmed on Tuesday that Greece will be providing Saudi Arabia with Patriot anti-aircraft missiles, as reported by Kathimerini last month.

The government of North Macedonia was pleasantly surprised by the support lent by Greece's conservative government in last year's European Union summit when France refused to let the country (and Albania) start talks on joining the bloc, North Macedonia's Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Bujar Osmani told Kathimerini recently in Brussels.

Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos said on Thursday Greece is interested in acquiring a squadron of US-made F-35 fighter jets in the coming years as part of its plan to reclaim its superiority over Turkey in air defence.

Flying enthusiasts watch Hellenic Air Force helicopters participate in the Tanagra International Air Show, part of Athens Flying Week, at the Tanagra Air Base on Saturday. The air show, which took place for the eighth year in a row, drew some 60,000 visitors from across Greece and 4,000 from abroad.

"It's a story of blood and aircraft wreckage strewn across fields." A poet could not have offered a better description of Captain Akrivos Tsolakis' career in the Hellenic Air Force and as an air accident investigator.

The acquisition by Greece of US-made F-35 fighter jets will hinge on the country's fiscal plans and Washington's ability to offer a long-term payment framework, reliable sources said Friday.

Hellenic Air Force fighter jets and helicopters are to fly over the capital at 11.45 on Monday as a practice run ahead of the traditional military parade on March 25 national holiday.

The annual parade marks the anniversary of Greek independence from Ottoman rule.

The practice run is expected to last just a few minutes.

Greece's Foreign Ministry on Friday criticized comments by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who reportedly said his country will respond every time Greek fighter jets fly over the Aegean, saying it is "completely unacceptable to compare the two events.