Hellenic Air Force

A Hellenic Air Force fighter crashed on Tuesday during military exercises in the area between Rhodope and Evros on Greece’s northeastern border though the pilot managed to eject from the aircraft before impact.

Defense Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos contacted the pilot, who suffered minor injuries, to wish him a speedy recovery.

The Hellenic Air Force pilot of an A7 Corsair attack aircraft that went down during military exercises in the mountainous north of Greece was confirmed safe by military sources on Tuesday.

A Hellenic Air Force fighter jet was seen crashing to the ground during exercises in the area between Rhodope and Evros on Greece's northeastern border though the pilot is believed to have managed to escape, Skai TV said on Tuesday morning.

According to initial reports, eye witnesses saw a parachute eject from the A-7 Corsair's cockpit moments before the crash.

Three suspects – a 56-year-old Greek gas station owner and two Pakistani men – have been arrested for stealing large quantities of jet fuel from a Hellenic Air Force pipeline that runs through the agricultural region of Oinoi in Viotia, north of Attica.

In a joint operation the Greek police, the General Chemical State Laboratory and financial investigators are following leads to determine whether 50,000 liters of jet fuel stolen from a Hellenic Air Force base was adulterated and sold as gasoline.

Greece is looking to make improvements to its fleet of F-16s after already setting in motion an upgrade for its Mirage fighter jets, Kathimerini has learned.

Defense Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos has asked for a plan to be put in place for the improvements to the F-16s. It is not yet known how much such a scheme would cost.