Greece in talks with the US for co-production of frigates

Greece is in talks with the US to co-produce US-designed Constellation-class frigates, Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said on Monday.
 
“We are discussing with the US the joint design and co-production of the new generation of Constellation frigates,” Dendias said after a meeting with his Cypriot counterpart, Vasilis Palmas in Athens.
 
He added that on January 16 the Greek navy received a letter by the US navy, which was approving in principle Greece’s interest in the co-production of seven new frigates in Greek shipyards.
 
If there is an agreement, Greece could participate in this program from the beginning, in their design, based on the needs of the Greek navy.
 
Dendias also referred to the F-35 stealth fighter jets that the Greek air force will acquire, noting that it is too premature to discuss how much these will cost.
 
On Friday, the US administration formally informed Congress of its intention to proceed with a $8.6-billion deal to sell 20 Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter jets to Greece.
 
At the same time, it announced the $23 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, a deal that Washington advanced as it tries to strike a balance between the two NATO.
 
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has welcomed the US State Department’s decision, describing it as “an important day for our national defense and for Greek diplomacy.”