The countdown to Air Force began, with the aim of essentially proceeding the upgrade program to 38 fighter aircraft type F-16 Block 50, which will evolve into murderous “voyages” with the help of the US.
Greek Air force It will soon send the official Letter of Request (Lor) to the US to modernize the 38 F-16 Block 50 fighter aircraft in the Viper version, a move that will scoring the operational capabilities of the Greek air forces.
Lor’s mission is essentially the official launch of a program that will reshape the Greek fighter fleet to levels of operational value much higher than today.
In the background of the negotiations, the air staff works intensively to ensure that nothing is missing from the dossier, such as technical specifications, weapons envelopes, spare parts and reseller management requirements.
Lor’s submission will mean the start of the route to the Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA), the crucial stage where the terms, timetables and costs will officially lock.
The full weapon folder-JDAM, JSOW, HARPOON, JASSM and AIM-20D
Upgrading the Block 50 is not just “radar and computers” but it is primarily the introduction of a complete, modern weapon envelope that will radically upgrade the deterrent and impact capacity of the degrees. At the center of the request are included among other things:
• AIM-120D: Long -range rocket that is considered necessary for modern Viper. The Greek leadership insists on integrating the AIM-20D so that the upgraded fighters have a full equivalent capacity to stop the most up-to-date standards when the weapon is released from the US.
• JDAM/JSOW: The ability to incorporate precision weapons that translate into guided safety shots dramatically increases impact flexibility.
• Harpoon & JASSM/JAASM: Anti -Securities and Inland Functioning and Inland Rockets. The forecast for Harpoon and Jassm/Jaasm Rocket shows that the power cell created by PA. It is not limited to purely Air to Air duties.
• Iris-t / Others of the small range of air-to-air rockets: For proximity, complementary to AIM-20D.
Overall, the “Weapon Folder” folder converts the Block 50 into fully equipped Viper, capable of performing repression – sead/dead/dead, precision impact, anti -aircraft supremacy and anti -aircraft, all critical aircraft.
Upgraded electronic and shipping systems
The heart of transformation is in electronics. Block 50 will receive a package that includes:
• Aesa radar An/APG-83 SABR: Electronic scan radar allows detection at longer distances, monitoring multiple targets, improved operation in an electronic warfare environment and precise soil/sea image.
• Modular Mission Computer MMC-7000A: Modern shipping computer that gives computing power for cooperation of sensors, weapons and self -protection systems.
• Link-16: For complete network -centric interconnection with NATO and national platforms necessary for the single battlefield image.
• JHMCS (Helmet-Mounted Cueing System): A helmet that allows a look at the look-critical for modern air fights and quick jams.
• New Avionics, Communications and Self -Prophetic Packages: Enhanced EW Systems, IFF and Future-Proof Future Weapons/Sensor Integration.
The combined power of these elements makes Viper not only “modernized”, but operationally upgraded to the 4.5-generation level with the possibility of cooperating in the same field as Rafale and F-35 as members of a single net-centered ecosystem.
The timetable
Lor’s submission in the coming weeks will pave the way for Loa and the signature of conventional terms. Information from the Air Staff reports that:
• After Lor’s mission, the American side usually has a specific LOA control and preparation process which may take a few months. The Greek side’s estimate is that Loa is expected to arrive in Athens while the Block 52+ upgrade program will be ongoing.
• Implementation of maintenance/upgrading work for the 38 Block 50 is expected to start in phases after 2028, at the rate of the availability of installations and staff at the ODA and the affiliates.
• The aim is to have a smooth integration of aircraft into the existing operational environment so that, within a short time after each lot, the Air Force has fully operated F-16 Viper.
The timetable, as always, will also depend on factors such as financial approval, material availability and international orders for the same subsystems. However, the Greek side has the political and operational determination to move quickly and targeted.
The Fleet Fleet: 200 Fighter Aircraft
The upgrading of the 38 Block 50 in Viper is part of a wider, long -term plan: the formation of a fleet of about 200 fighters of 4.5 and 5th generation. The structure targeted by PA Provides:
• 83 F-16 Viper fighter aircraft (Block 52+ upgraded) – already in progress.
• 38 F-16 Viper fighter aircraft (Block 50 upgraded) – the object of the current Lor.
• 24 Rafale F3R fighter aircraft – as first -role platforms and multiple roles.
• 20+ STEALTH fighter aircraft F-35A Lightning II – “invisible” platforms that will act as “sensors” of the network.
• balances Mirage 2000-5 and Block 30 in a supportive role throughout the transitional period.
The purpose of this composition is not only to increase the number of aircraft available but mainly to homogeneity in weapons, sensors and the logic of operational use.
With a single Viper platform (121 aircraft) and Rafale and F-35 supplementary capabilities. acquires a flexible, interconnected body of power.
The presence of the F-35 converts the battlefield: Stealth aircraft act as top sensors, providing data to Viper and Rafale that can utilize the full power of their weapons and this combination is the real “game change” in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The value of BLOCK 50 – from “Arrow” and “Perseus” in Viper
The F-16 Block 50s, serving 341 Squadron “Arrow” and the 347 Squadron “Perseus” in the 111th Battle Wing of Nea Anchialos, have always been the trunk of Greek Air Defense and impact capacity.
However, the technological progress of the last decades has created a gap between their potential and the requirements of the modern battlefield, especially in the radar region, connectivity and up -to -date avionics.
Their transformation into Viper closes this gap: aircraft acquire cutting -edge sensors, networking capabilities, a modern weapon envelope and maintenance that follows a single logic with the rest of the upgraded aircraft.
The result is immediate: increased detection range, faster and more accurate reaction, simultaneous multi-threat management capacity and actual ability to function as Force MultiPliers in combination with Rafale and F-35.
For the two historical degrees of New Anchialos, this upgrade is not just logistics, it is reinstalling their business identity: from traditional bodies to central pillars of a modern, integrated air formation.
The timing of the negotiations – from 1.8 billion to 1 billion.
The financial capital of the agreement was a point of crisis. The US side’s initial bid exceeded € 1.8 billion, an amount that the staff described as prohibitive. Subsequent bids were limited to 1.5 billion but for only 30 F-16 cars not for the total of 38, creating additional problems.
With harsh but smart oppositions, pressure and operational clarity on the Greek side, discussions have led to a new cost approach.
The final proposal came down to € 1.2 billion, while with a clever exploitation of the resale materials (eg radar and a block of block 52+) and the favorable euro/dollar exchange rate, the final cost is estimated to move around 1 billion euros, costly and a reasonable cost.
The strategic superiority over Turkey
At the level of the strategic balance, the upgrading of the 38 Block 50 to Viper changes the map. Turkey has a numerical advantage in F-16, but it is lacking in critical abilities. Access to F-35 has been cut off, full meteor integration remains demand and the use of AESA radar throughout the fleet is doubtful.
Greece, with 121 F-16 Viper, 24 Rafale and future F-35s, acquires a quality advantage enhanced by the full network-centric function that allows link-16s, AESA radars and a common weapon envelope.
In a staff scenario, the F-35s act as stealth sensors, Rafale undertakes first injury and Viper multiply the power by sead, intercept and impact. The choice of upgrade is, therefore, a strategy and not a luxury, but the necessity of survival and disgust.
Source: Onalert.gr – Reportage: Costas Sarikas