Athens eyeing F-35s say Greek Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff

The Chairman of Greece’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General Christos Christodoulou, warned about the prospect of a Greek-Turkish military accident in the Aegean and urged resolve and prudence in dealing with Ankara’s claims.

At the same time, he said that Greece is a prospective candidate for the purchase of American F-35 warplanes, which Turkey has already ordered. Ankara is also the exclusive provider of a number of F-35 parts based on a deal with Washington.

In his first news conference after assuming his duties in January– he replaced Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis who is now serving as defence minister – Christodoulou declared that, “Our mission is to keep the peace, and that is why we must always be prepared for war. The danger of an accident in the Aegean is real. We cannot always answer every statement made by the other side. That is Turkey’s way of provoking. We are working to avert the creation of such conditions.”

Greek interest in F-35 stealth fighter
Referring to Greece’s military procurement programme, Christodoulou said that Greece is among the countries which are prospective buyers of the American F-35 stealth fighter.

The US has warned Ankara that it could block the delivery of F-35s to Turkey if Ankara does not back down and cancel its order of Russian S-400 missile systems.

“We are dynamically examining the F-35. We are expecting from the US within the next two years a related comprehensive study which will include cost,” Christodoulou said.