Summary and Key Points: Greece's F-35 program is moving forward, with the Hellenic Air Force set to receive its first batch of the Lockheed Martin stealth fighters by 2028. The initial aircraft will be built in the U.S., followed by assembly in Italy.

-With a total order of 20 F-35s and an option for an additional 20, Greece is modernizing its air force alongside upgrades to its F-16 fleet and the acquisition of French Dassault Rafale fighters.

-These enhancements will solidify Greece's position as a key player in NATO’s southern defense strategy, with speculation that its aging F-16s could be transferred to Ukraine.

Greece Set to Receive F-35 Fighters by 2028 as Lockheed Martin Expands Global Reach

According to aerospace and defense giant Lockheed Martin, its premier aircraft is now operated from 32 military bases worldwide, while 10 nations now operate the F-35 Lightning II from their home soil.

"There are nearly 1,000 aircraft operational with more than 860,000 flight hours fleetwide," the company said in a July statement – and the orders continue to come in.

On Tuesday, it was announced that another NATO member nation will be operating the fifth-generation Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II by the end of the decade. The aircraft maker said that the Greek F-35 program is on track, and will soon begin on the Hellenic Air Force's stealth fighters.

"With the signing of the Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) by the Greek government in July, negotiations for the intergovernmental agreement have begun. The next steps include the signing of a contract between the US government and Lockheed Martin for the production and delivery of Greece's F-35s," J.R. McDonald, vice president of F-35 Business Development at Lockheed Martin, told the Greek-based Kathimerini news agency.

The Hellenic Air Force will receive the initial batch of F-35s beginning in 2028.

Made in the USA and Italy

It has also been reported that the first of the all-weather multirole fighters will be produced in the United States, with much of the work conducted at Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth, Texas, facilities – but the program will see the majority of the aircraft assembled at the international aerospace firm's operations in Italy.

Lockheed Martin maintains the Final Assembly and Check Out (FACO) in Cameri, located about 56 miles northeast of Turin. It is one of just three factories around the globe – with the third in Nagoya, Japan – capable of producing the Lightning II. The first F-35B, the Short Take-Off/Vertical Landing (STO/VL) variant, produced outside the United States was completed at the Italian facility in May 2017.

"Although there is no official plan regarding where the aircraft will be produced or the final production timelines, we expect the first eight F-35s for Greece to be built in the U.S.," said McDonald. "The aircraft are expected to be delivered to Greece in 2030."

Athens contracted Lockheed Martin to produce 20 F-35s, while it maintains an option for an additional 20 Lightning IIs, which would be produced in the early 2030s. There had been speculation that six F-35s originally built for NATO ally Turkey before it was expelled from the F-35 program for its adoption of the Russian-made S-400 Triumf air-defense system, would be transferred to Greece. However, no mention of the status of those aircraft was made in the recent announcements.

The Mighty Hellenic Air Force is Taking Shape with F-35 and More 

In addition to the F-35s, the Hellenic Air Force has also begun to receive its batch of 18 French-made Dassault Rafale omni-role fighters, which are replacing its aging fleet of Mirage 2000EG/BG aircraft that have been in service since the 1980s.

Athens has further sought to upgrade a significant number of American-built F-16 Fighting Falcons. According to TheAviationist.com, 82 of the Hellenic Air Force's 135 F-16C/D Block 52 will be updated to the F-16V Block 70 configuration. The enhancement efforts will continue through 2027.

With these acquisitions, the Hellenic Air Force will be among the most modern in Southern Europe, and more than able to help protect NATO's southern flank. There has also been speculation that as it receives its latest fighters, it could provide its aging F-16s to Ukraine.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].

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