Source: CMG Military·China Bugle
Recently, Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis said that Greece has sent a written document to the United States to formally apply to purchase 20 F-35 fighter jets. Previously, U.S. President Biden had publicly expressed his support for selling and upgrading F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. Recently, the dispute between Türkiye and Greece over the Aegean Sea islands has become tense, and the armaments of both sides have been continuously upgraded.
Why did Greece choose to purchase F-35 fighter jets from the United States at this time? Between the two NATO allies, to whom will the US position lean? On related topics, military observer Teng Jianqun provides you with an in-depth analysis.
Data map: F-35 fighter jets equipped by the US military (Source: Global Network)
Greece and Turkey have long-standing grievances. Recently, the two countries have been arguing over issues such as oil and gas resources in the Aegean Sea and racial conflicts in Cyprus. Military observer Teng Jianqun believes that it is no coincidence that Greece is purchasing F-35 fighter jets from the United States at this time. In the process of competing with Türkiye, seizing air supremacy has become an important goal for the construction and development of the Greek Air Force.
Teng Jianqun:
Recently, conflicts have broken out again between Greece and Turkey over the issue of islands in the Aegean Sea. In order to contain each other, the two countries launched a competition to develop air power.
In January this year, Greece ordered "Rafale" fighter jets from France, and the first batch of six fighter jets have been put into service in Greece. Türkiye followed suit and proposed to the United States to upgrade its F-16 fighter jets. After Turkey's idea received support from the United States, Greece proposed to purchase American F-35 fighter jets. It can be seen that strengthening the competition for air control has become an important goal of Greece's military power building.
According to reports, as a member of NATO, Greece's defense expenditure accounted for the proportion of gross domestic product higher than the 2% set by NATO, reaching 3.76%. Greece allocated about US$2.6 billion last year to order 24 Rafale fighter jets and purchased three French-built frigates for about US$3.1 billion. According to reports, in addition to purchasing F-35 fighters, the Greek Ministry of Defense also hopes to continue to upgrade 38 F-16 fighters. Military observer Teng Jianqun believes that the Greek government’s wallet may not be able to afford the huge procurement costs for equipment upgrades.
Teng Jianqun:
The long-term debt crisis made the Greek government once face bankruptcy. Although Greece's finances have recovered in the past two years, the large-scale purchase of F-35 fighter jets, including the upgrade of F-16 fighter jets, is bound to consume huge amounts of money.
For example, an F-35 fighter jet purchased by the US Air Force costs approximately US$80 million, while in the international market, its asking price can reach US$200 million. Greece now wants to purchase one to two squadrons of F-35 fighter jets. There is a question mark as to whether the Greek government can afford such a huge expenditure.
Data map: F-16 fighter jets equipped by the US military (Source: Global Network)
Greece and Turkey are both NATO members. Faced with the arms purchase needs of the two countries, what choice will the United States make? In this regard, military observer Teng Jianqun believes that the United States’ answer will always be “whether this is in line with the geopolitical interests of the United States.”
Teng Jianqun:
U.S. arms sales must not only earn commercial profits, but also consider regional political needs, so as to achieve the United States' influence and control over relevant regional affairs. If the United States agrees to Greece's purchase of two squadrons of F-35 fighter jets, the regional air power structure will completely shift to Greece's side.
The United States' rash sale of fighter jets to two NATO member states at the same time is likely to aggravate regional tensions, cause divisions within NATO, and weaken the United States' dominance in NATO. I believe that the United States will take into account the current relationship with Turkey and treat Greece's request to purchase F-35 fighter jets with caution.
(produced by Yangguang Military·China Bugle)
