Fighter sale to Turkey could still hit snags
Athens is closely following the progress, through the US Congress, of legislation to sell F-16 fighters and upgrade kits to Turkey. The latest development, with the Senate dropping from the legislation an amendment by Bob Menedez (D-NJ) making the sale conditional on Congress’ verifying that Turkey will not use the planes to challenge Greek sovereignty over the Aegean via overflights, was cautiously welcomed in Ankara and seen in Athens as just one step in a long process.
A similar amendment to Menendez’s, tabled by Representative Chris Pappas (D-NH) passed the House of Representatives when it voted on next year’s defense budget. As the two legislative texts differ, the matter goes to a conference between House and Senate members, from which a compromise version will presumably emerge and be voted on by each body.
In any case, Greek officials say, the government’s foreign or defense policy planning is not dependent on processes concerning relations between third parties, in this case Turkey and the US.
Whatever Congress decides, the officials say, Greece will maintain its air superiority over the Aegean, as it incorporates the new French-made Rafale fighters, its own version of the upgraded F-16s and talks about buying the advanced F-35 fighter from the US, a program which Turkey has been kicked out of for buying Russian weapons systems, are expected to start by next spring.
Practically, this means that, when Greece begins to get delivery of the F-35s by the end of the decade, Turkey will be getting the first F-16s. The end of the decade will also see expanded US presence in Greece, in existing bases in Alexandroupoli, Larissa, Souda and elsewhere.
The restrictive amendments are far from dead, explains Endy Zemenides, executive director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council. But it is also certain the Biden administration wants the F-16 sale to proceed.
