Greece plans to decommission 32 old F-16 Block-30 fighters and sell them to the United States, where the planes will be modernized and transferred to Ukraine.
Points of attention
- Greece plans to transfer dozens of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine in order to strengthen the country's defense capabilities.
- The Greek military plans to upgrade 82 F-16 fighters and purchase new Rafale and F-35 fighters.
- The spread of fakes about the F-16 in the Ukrainian skies is connected with the NATO summit, which discussed the issues of supporting Ukraine in defense efforts.
- Ukraine needs at least 150 F-16 fighters, and the transfer of dozens of such aircraft will cause a deficit in the air force.
- Military experts have different views on the transfer of fighter jets, stressing the importance of a strong armed force to ensure the country's security.
What is known about Greece's plans to transfer old F-16s to Ukraine
According to the journalists of the publication regarding Greek military officials, the country's Armed Forces plan to upgrade 82 F-16 fighters to Block-70 and buy fourth-generation Rafale fighters from France.
In addition, Greece plans to buy up to 40 fifth-generation F-35 multipurpose fighters from the United States.
In one of the reports on the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, it was noted that the number of aircraft decommissioned by these countries could be up to 60 units.
At the same time, Ukraine needs at least 150 F-16 fighters.
The interlocutors of the publication note that Greece wants to sell these planes back to the USA, where they would be modernised, after which they would be handed over to Kyiv.
Some military experts are wary of the transfer of dozens of fighter jets.
Unfortunately, because of our neighbours, we are obliged to have very powerful armed forces. The sale of 32 F-16s … would open a big hole in the air force. … There has to be a quorum of about 200 aircraft, which can’t happen with more modern and expensive fighter jets, an air force engineer told on the condition of anonymity.
What is known about the fakes spread by Russia about the F-16 in Ukrainian skies
The Ministry of Defence of Romania denied the claims of Russian propaganda that F-16 fighter jets were spotted in the sky above Odesa last week, which took off from Romanian airfields.
At the same time, the Ministry of Defence of Romania also added that Kremlin propaganda began to spread new lies in Telegram "regarding a series of flights carried out last week by F-16 aircraft in the airspace of Ukraine in the Odesa region."
Russia's propaganda spreads fake news that the F-16 planes allegedly took off from Romanian airfields.
The Romanian ministry said, "The imaginary sources of Russian propaganda are transmitting false information."
F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force perform training and patrol missions exclusively in the national airspace, in strict compliance with the rules established by international law, the Romanian MOD said in a statement.
Widespread disinformation in the ministry was linked to the NATO summit in Washington, where important decisions were made to support Ukraine's defence efforts.
