From Phantom to F-16: Greece sells off fleet of obsolete fighters

Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias announced the military department’s readiness to get rid of its fleet of obsolete fighters by selling them or disposing of them.

We have many types of aircraft, we have F-4, Mirage 2000-5, F-16 Block 30, F-16 Block 50, F-16 Block 52, F-16 Viper, Rafale. This is unacceptable.

In his words, it is necessary to say goodbye to a number of combat models aviation. As can be understood from the minister’s statements, he does not particularly hope to sell the Phantom II, and therefore this aircraft can expect to be scrapped:

I think we've done a fantastic job of preserving the F-4, the Vietnam era aircraft.

At the same time, Dendias expects that there will be a buyer for several types of less outdated machines:

The Mirage 2000-5 is an extremely capable aircraft and should be sold. The F-16 Block 30 needs to be sold. These aircraft have lost their value, but I believe they are still quite functional and have potential to be sold.

The remaining types of F-16 (Block 50/52) must be brought to the level of the Block 70 F-16 Viper and remain in service with the country's Air Force. At the same time, the minister noted slippage in the implementation of the F-16 modernization program. In 2017, an agreement worth $2,4 billion was signed with Lockheed Martin to upgrade 84 F-16 Block 52+ fighters to the Block 72 configuration by 2028, but the work schedule is seriously shifting to the right.

As Dendias noted, it is also necessary to expand the Rafale fleet:

We need to strengthen the Rafale fleet, there are 24 of them, it would be nice to increase them to 30.

In connection with the minister’s statement, the question arises about the future fate of the F-16 Block 30. Considering the military assistance previously provided by Athens to the Kyiv regime (BMP-1, RPG-18 - from the officially designated), these fighters may well end up in Ukraine.

Comments

[Murmur 55]

Now, sell it, donate it to one country, and pay extra.

[antivirus]

The desire of sinners will perish.
And Greece will perish, it will be surrendered if the Turks give a good baksheesh.

[YOU]

Some people are apparently already holding out their hand and trying to get in line, pushing everyone aside. Naturally, preferably free.

[voyaka uh]

Phantoms were withdrawn from service in Israel with great reluctance.
This aircraft had a phenomenal bomb-carrying capacity.
He took more bombs than his own weight.
Conceived as a fighter, it quickly became a striker due to
excess engine power.

[opposite28]

It’s a pity that the Arabs never learned to work using domestic air defense systems and means without using standard domestic anti-aircraft systems crews.

[75 Sergey]

During the campaign, the Greeks decided to make an offer to sell equipment to Ukraine.
Will they draw a swastika right away, as a bonus?

[Murmur 55]

75 Sergey , as a bonus there will be flyers and technical personnel, and neo-Nazis will not allow anyone to draw crosses in their place.

[opposite28]

And what wouldn’t sound bad: the destruction of another Ukrainian “Phantom”. It’s as if it doesn’t exist, but in fact it’s destroyed. It's a pity, it was a legendary device.

[Murmur 55]

oppzite28 yeah, and the song was nothing at the time.

[opposite28]

Murmur 55 How many strings were broken? By the way, the Chizh team did not do too badly with their song back then.

[fiv]

Folk words. We used to sing this song with a guitar in the late 70s at school.

[opposite28]

Beauty ! How much did you drink?

[fiv]

Port wine "Caucasus"! Agdam! And how much this word contains for the Russian heart!

[opposite28]

Better than plain water The text of your comment is too short and in the opinion of the site administration does not carry useful information.

[fiv]

Now yes! Mineral water and compote are our everything

[opposite28]

Yes and then too. Maybe a little red wine to clarify and regulate the amount of hemoglobin. Without fanaticism.

[opposite28]

And the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II itself, from a technical point of view, is far from an ordinary machine, except that it is advertised. Visually, some elements attract attention, but in practical terms, it is an ordinary front-line bomber with an emphasis on the use of missile weapons without taking into account the possibility of conducting close-in maneuverable combat, which was an extremely large drawback in the experience of combat use when meeting with the MiG-21 in the skies over Vietnam. There is no maneuverability at all

[fiv]

I smoke. Fantom cigarettes from the Peppel tobacco factory, Rostov-on-Don. I burn Phantoms every day. Reds. Not an advertisement.

[opposite28]

By the way, in the USA, during the period of use of Phantom ll, a copyright fee was charged for the name and use of the aircraft name in advertising campaigns. At the very beginning of its use, but in connection with protests against the Vietnam War, copyright seemed to be forgotten.

[fiv]

The spelling is different - Phantom and Fantom. It sounds the same though.

[opposite28]

But the operating principle is somewhat similar. It depends on what purpose to use it and where to fly next.

[Lozovik]

Quote: oppozite28

but in practical terms, it is an ordinary front-line bomber with an emphasis on the use of missile weapons without taking into account the possibility of conducting close-in maneuverable combat, which was an extremely large drawback in terms of combat experience when meeting with the MiG-21 in the skies over Vietnam. There is no maneuverability at all

This is fundamentally wrong. The Phantom's maneuverability is quite decent for its time, as can be clearly seen in this graph

[opposite28]

The schedule is schedule, but for some reason the Phantoms were called bomb carriers. From what ? I'm embarrassed to even guess.

[bayard]

Quote: oppozite28

but for some reason the Phantoms were called bomb carriers. From what ?

They were designed as an all-weather interceptor. In Vietnam, after the 4th series fighters failed there, they began to use the F-105, first as a cover fighter, and then instead of the F-XNUMX as a fighter-bomber. It was just a very successful machine for its time, which then became the prototype of the MFI.
The Su-27 was also initially created as an air superiority fighter and for long-range escort. And then came modifications of the T-10 - Su-34\34, Su-30K and Su-30MKI\SM, Su-35S.
The Pe-2 was also designed as a long-range escort fighter, but it made a good dive bomber.

[opposite28]

The Pe-2 was also designed as a long-range escort fighter, but it made a good dive bomber.

bayard You probably confused it with the SB-2, which in its speed characteristics was superior to all fighters of that time. The experience of combat use in Spain repeatedly confirmed the characteristics laid down before the appearance of the Messerschmitt Bf.109 - V3, V4 and V5 in a unit called the Condor Legion. By the way, the SB-2 was also used as an interceptor fighter, depending on the skill of the pilot. And the Pe-2 was initially designed and subsequently used purely as a dive bomber.

[bayard]

The SB-2 was created as a high-speed bomber, which could intercept itself with special luck (without maneuverable combat, of course). The Pe-1 was developed specifically as a long-range escort fighter for bombers, and since the beginning of the war such fighters became irrelevant, but a dive bomber was needed urgently. It was ordered by several design bureaus at once, but on the basis of the Pe-1 fighter it was possible to quickly make such a Pe-2 dive bomber. But he also retained the ability to fight fighters.
And immediately after WWII, the first radars for aircraft in the USSR were tested on the Pe-3 base. .

[Lozovik]

Quote: oppozite28

The schedule is schedule, but for some reason the Phantoms were called bomb carriers. From what ? I'm embarrassed to even guess.

Whoever named it is the reason for the demand.

Is he also a “bomb carrier”?

[opposite28]

Multi-role fighter of the 4th generation Su-27, by the way, the inherent characteristics of the Su-27 imply versatility, including the delivery of missile and bomb strikes without compromising maneuverability during close combat. Therefore, the Su-27 is also called a heavy multi-role fighter due to the presence of a lightweight one in the form of the Mig-29. By the way, the Su-27 was created, among other things, as a counterweight to the F-15 Eagle, which replaced the F-4 Phantom ll.

[Lozovik]

Su-27 in the ION air defense aviation classification. In its original form, it is not a multi-role fighter at all - the ability to work on the ground is weak, and in the “P” version it is generally zero.

[COJIDAT]

These are subsonic characteristics, or I'm wrong!

[Lozovik]

Pay attention to the "V" axis.

[Oleg Apushkin]

It’s a coincidence that Greece has everything.

[opposite28]

It would be naive to believe that only citrus fruits and ancient monuments. As it turned out, there is a solid collection in the gardens; by the way, they could organize a good working museum. But given the current state of the Acropolis, the fate of the legendary representatives of American aviation is not enviable.

[Diverter]

one of each aircraft could be purchased for a museum.

[fiv]

Greece has everything. But less than it was. And soon this will not happen either.

[al3x]

Ukrainians wouldn’t refuse the free U-2.

[COJIDAT]

and who is this, do they really have a country left?!

[TermNachTer]

The Greeks are such scoundrels))) you have to be able to sell 50-year-old planes to suckers, not for a museum, but for war - you have to be able to do this)))

[COJIDAT]

a blow to Washington will demilitarize many conflicts!

[Feodor13]

There will be people willing to buy used F-16s, even without cover.

Miles, it seems like I was going to buy them from Denmark, but then apparently Greece decided to dump them..
Morocco is arming itself, the Arabs, as always, are not against it, the Philippines is now groaning, with its hand outstretched. The latter, the United States can help - as part of the “construction” of AUKUS.