Greece has signed a deal with the United States worth up to $4 billion covering weapons purchases and F-16 upgrades, Reu...

Greece has signed a deal with the United States worth up to $4 billion covering weapons purchases and F-16 upgrades, Reuters reported Friday. The package will upgrade older F-16s to the Viper configuration and supply advanced missiles and bombs across Greece's F-16 Viper fleet, its planned F-35 aircraft, and its Black Hawk helicopters. The deal fits into a much larger defense buildup. Greece plans to invest roughly 28 billion euros ($31 billion) in modernizing its armed forces through 2036, and currently spends close to 3.5 percent of its GDP on defense, one of the highest rates in NATO. Conversion work on the F-16s is handled at Hellenic Aerospace Industry's Tanagra facilities north of Athens, with technical support from Lockheed Martin. Greece received its 60th upgraded F-16 Viper in September, and deliveries are scheduled to continue through 2027. The Viper configuration includes APG-83 electronically scanned radars, new mission computers, and updated cockpit displays. Greece first approved the F-16 conversion program back in 2018 under a $1.45 billion agreement, after the US had proposed upgrading 120 aircraft for more than $2.4 billion. The first two Vipers were delivered in September 2022. The new $4 billion package expands that effort significantly, extending Greece's reach across multiple weapons platforms as the country locks in its most aggressive defense modernization in decades. #Greece #GreekMilitary #F16