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96-527: The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Skyros Island Airport: The airport is home to the 22nd Guided Missile Squadron attached to 350th Guided Missile Wing of the Hellenic Air Force and operates MIM-104 Patriot PAC-3 batteries. This article about an airport in Greece is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Thessaly location article

192-509: A seaplane , setting a new average speed world record at 110 kilometres per hour (68 miles per hour). In September of the same year, the Greek Army fielded its first squadron, the 'Aviators Company' ( Greek : Λόχος Αεροπόρων ). On 5 October 1912, Kamberos flew the first combat mission, a reconnaissance flight over Thessaly . This was on the first day of the Balkan wars . On the same day

288-537: A commercial and military point of view, and remains strategically important today. It is a major sea access route for numerous countries, including Russia and Ukraine . Control over it has been an objective of a number of hostilities in modern history, notably the attack of the Allied Powers on the Dardanelles during the 1915 Battle of Gallipoli in the course of World War I . The ancient city of Troy

384-620: A commercial and military waterway. In more recent years, the Turkish Straits have become particularly important for the oil industry. Russian oil, from ports such as Novorossyisk , is exported by tankers primarily to western Europe and the U.S. via the Bosporus and the Dardanelles straits. The Dardanelles were closed in late February 2022 to all foreign warships at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in accordance with

480-805: A letter of request, awaiting answer even in September, 2024, for cost and availability. One major point of the agreement is were the upgrade will take place. HAF has request proposals for both, in-base upgrade in 111 Combat Wing in Nea Anchialos air force base, as well as in Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI) in Tanagra, among the other aircraft. Officials claim that upgrades in 111 Combat Wing will be less costly, plus there will be two production lines, making Block 50 to Block 70 Vipers conversions faster. In April 2019, as part of

576-539: A maximum depth of 103 metres (338 ft) at its narrowest point abreast the city of Çanakkale . The first fixed crossing across the Dardanelles opened in 2022 with the completion of the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge . Most of the northern shores of the strait along the Gallipoli peninsula ( Turkish : Gelibolu ) are sparsely settled, while the southern shores along the Troad peninsula ( Turkish : Biga ) are inhabited by

672-523: A maximum depth of 103 metres (338 ft) at its narrowest point at Nara Burnu , abreast Çanakkale . There are two major currents through the strait: a surface current flows from the Black Sea towards the Aegean Sea, and a more saline undercurrent flows in the opposite direction. The Dardanelles is unique in many respects. The very narrow and winding shape of the strait is more akin to that of

768-488: A replacement for these old aircraft. This is still unconfirmed. During the latter part of the Greek Economic Crisis, HAF after years of austerity decided to modernize the aging fighter fleet. It dedicated resources for the upgrade of the fleet of its existing Mirage 2000 and F-16 fighters. In 2018, Lockheed Martin was contracted to upgrade eighty-four F-16C/D Block 52+ and Block 52+ Advanced (Block 52M) to

864-559: A river. It is considered one of the most hazardous, crowded, difficult and potentially dangerous waterways in the world. The currents produced by the tidal action in the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara are such that ships under sail must wait at anchorage for the right conditions before entering the Dardanelles. As part of the only passage between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, the Dardanelles has always been of great importance from

960-699: A similar mission was flown by German mercenaries in Ottoman service, over the Thrace front against the Bulgarian Army. The Greek and the Ottoman missions, coincidentally flown on the same day, were the first military aviation missions in the history of conventional war. As a matter of fact, all Balkan countries used military aircraft and foreign mercenaries during the Balkan Wars. 24 January 1913, saw

1056-693: A single service, the Royal Hellenic Air Force. In 1931, the Hellenic Air Force Academy , the Icarus School ( Greek : Σχολή Ικάρων ), was founded. At the end of 1936, Greece ordered 36 Polish PZL P.24 fighter aircraft, which entered service with the 21st, 22nd and 23rd Pursuit Squadrons and after completion of deliveries in 1938, formed the core of the RHAF fighter force. The planes were well armed; 12 planes of

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1152-938: A total number of three-hundred advanced fighters, also according to the Supreme Air Force Council 2007–2012 operational planning , which was published in 2007. Candidates for the new generation aircraft were the Dassault Rafale , F-35 Lightning II , F/A-18E/F Super Hornet , MiG-35 , and the Sukhoi Su-35 . During the Greek economic crisis (2008-2018), budget cuts forced HAF to ground many of its F-16s due to lack of spare parts and maintenance. Eventually in 2015, Greece placed an order for provision of spare parts in support of its F-16, F/RF-4E, C-130H/B, C-27J, T-6A/C, and other aircraft with systems / sub-systems of U.S. origin. The estimated cost of this order

1248-728: A village of the Gelibolu district, on the European side. It is part of planned expansions to the Turkish National Highway Network. Work on the bridge began in March 2017, and it was opened on March 18, 2022. 2 submarine cable systems transmitting electric power at 400 kV bridge the Dardanelles to feed west and east of Istanbul. They have their own landing stations in Lapseki and Sütlüce. The first, situated in

1344-406: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Hellenic Air Force The Hellenic Air Force ( HAF ; Greek : Πολεμική Αεροπορία , romanized :  Polemikí Aeroporía , lit.   'Military Aviation', sometimes abbreviated as ΠΑ ) is the air force of Greece ( Hellenic being the endonym for Greek in the Greek language ). It is considered to be one of

1440-738: Is an abbreviation of Strait of the Dardanelles . During Ottoman times there was a castle on each side of the strait. These castles together were called the Dardanelles , probably named after Dardanus , an ancient city on the Asian shore of the strait which in turn was said to take its name from Dardanus , the mythical son of Zeus and Electra . The name comes from the Dardani in the Balkans, according to Papazoglu. The ancient Greek name Ἑλλήσποντος ( Hellēspontos ) means "Sea of Helle", and

1536-755: Is in the process of obtaining new ones. There is the F-4, F-16 in several variants, Mirage 2000 and Rafales. As well, the F-35 will be obtained soon. This is very expensive for the Armed Forces and this needs reformed. In March 2024, Defence Minister Nikos Dendias announced that the F-4s will be retired soon and the older F-16s and Mirage 2000s will be sold off. This will streamline the Air Force. This streamlining can be of benefit to other countries such as India which may buy

1632-518: Is no conformation of any purchase, and talks are ongoing. In August 2020, Greece announced the acquisition of eighteen Rafale multi-role aircraft from France . Initial reports stated that ten would be the new C-built Rafale F3-R version, and eight would be older F1 & F2 versions already in use with the French Air Force , that would be given to Greece free-of-charge. However, later reports stated that all eighteen aircraft would be

1728-469: Is then said to have thrown fetters into the strait, given it three hundred lashes with multiple whips and branded it with red-hot irons as the soldiers shouted at the water. Herodotus commented that this was a "highly presumptuous way to address the Hellespont" but in no way atypical of Xerxes. (vii.35) Harpalus the engineer is said to have eventually helped the invading armies to cross by lashing

1824-556: The 330 'Thunder' and 346 'Jason' interceptor squadrons in Larissa air force base. On 29 March 1991, the RF-84F were retired from service after 34 years and 7 months of operational life. In November 1992, more RF-4Es were delivered to the 348 'Eyes' Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron . In 1993, the 'Peace Xenia II' modernisation programme began. Greece ordered thirty-two F-16C and eight F-16D, Block 50 variant . The first Block 50

1920-1053: The Balkans , the Near East , and Western Eurasia , and specifically connects the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara . The Marmara further connects to the Black Sea via the Bosporus , while the Aegean further links to the Mediterranean . Thus, the Dardanelles allows maritime connections from the Black Sea all the way to the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean via Gibraltar, and the Indian Ocean through

2016-515: The Bosporus , the Dardanelles forms the Turkish Straits . One of the world's narrowest straits used for international navigation , the Dardanelles connects the Sea of Marmara with the Aegean and Mediterranean seas while also allowing passage to the Black Sea by extension via the Bosporus. The Dardanelles is 61 kilometres (38 mi) long and 1.2 to 6 kilometres (0.75 to 3.73 mi) wide. It has an average depth of 55 metres (180 ft) with

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2112-901: The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger (in service 1969–1975), the Lockheed F-104G Starfighter , and the Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter . The F-104 and F-5 stayed in service until the mid- to late 1980s. In the mid-1970s, the Hellenic Air Force was further modernised with deliveries of the Dassault Mirage F1 CG fleet, the Vought A-7 Corsair II (including a number of TA-7Hs), and the first batch of McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom IIs . In 1993,

2208-726: The Dardanelles Operation — blockaded the straits in 1807. In 1833, following the Ottoman Empire 's defeat in the Russo-Turkish War of 1828–1829 , Russia pressured the Ottomans to sign the Treaty of Hunkiar Iskelesi —which required the closing of the straits to warships of non-Black Sea powers at Russia's request. That would have effectively given Russia a free hand in the Black Sea. This treaty alarmed

2304-592: The F/A-18 Hornet , a new onboard Mission Control Computer (MCC), a head-up display (HUD), the identification friend or foe (IFF) interrogator, multi-function displays , and were also capable of carrying a variety of advanced air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles. These included the AIM-120 AMRAAM (although only the -B edition), the AIM-9M missile, the automated flight-director system (AFDS), and

2400-629: The German Aerospace Industry (DASA) and the Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI/EAB) , to upgrade thirty-nine F-4E Phantom II fighters. The first aircraft was delivered at Andravida Air Base in December 2002. This aircraft, which was named Princess of Andravida ( s/n 72-01523), was unique because it did not have the M61 Vulcan gun installed. All upgraded F-4s were equipped with the new AN/APQ-65YG radar similar to that of

2496-563: The Hellenic Army and the Hellenic Navy , and to provide humanitarian aid in Greece and around the world. The Hellenic Air Force includes approximately 33,000 active troops, of whom 11,750 are career officers , 14,000 are professional soldiers (ΕΠ.ΟΠ.), 7,250 are volunteer conscripts, and 1,100 are women. The motto of the Hellenic Air Force is the ancient Greek phrase Αἰὲν Ὑψικρατεῖν ( Aièn Hypsikrateîn , 'Always Dominate

2592-663: The IRIS-T air-to-air missile . Three squadrons are operating with this type of F-16. These squadrons are the 337 'Ghost' in Larissa air base, the 340 'Fox' , and the 343 'Star' in Souda air base. In 2007, the Greek government ordered an additional thirty F-16 fighters; twenty single-seaters and ten two-seaters. However this time, the aircraft variant was the F-16C/D Block 52+ Advanced , that had been specifically modified for

2688-625: The Middle East flew a variety of missions, including convoy patrols, anti-submarine search, offensive patrols, reconnaissance, attack and interception of enemy aircraft. In Summer 1943, the Greek squadrons participated in the attack against the German Wehrmacht on the island of Crete , and then from May to November 1944 in Italy. During those years, seventy Greek pilots were lost. During World War II , Greek pilots who were flying with

2784-496: The Montreux Convention . The waters of the Dardanelles are traversed by numerous passenger and vehicular ferries daily, as well as recreational and fishing boats ranging from dinghies to yachts owned by both public and private entities. The strait also experiences significant amounts of commercial shipping traffic. The Çanakkale 1915 Bridge joins Lapseki , a district of Çanakkale, on the Asian side and Sütlüce ,

2880-683: The Ottoman Empire , who were concerned that the consequences of potential Russian expansionism in the Black Sea and Mediterranean regions could conflict with their own possessions and economic interest in the region. At the London Straits Convention in July 1841, the United Kingdom , France , Austria , and Prussia pressured Russia to agree that only Turkish warships could traverse the Dardanelles in peacetime. The United Kingdom and France subsequently sent their fleets through

2976-743: The Strait of Gallipoli (after the Gallipoli peninsula) and in Classical Antiquity as the Hellespont ( / ˈ h ɛ l ɪ s p ɒ n t / HEL -isp-ont ; Classical Greek : Ἑλλήσποντος , romanized:  Hellḗspontos , lit.   'Sea of Helle '), is a narrow, natural strait and internationally significant waterway in northwestern Turkey that forms part of the continental boundary between Asia and Europe and separates Asian Turkey from European Turkey. Together with

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3072-468: The Suez Canal , making it a crucial international waterway, in particular for the passage of goods coming in from Russia . The strait is located at approximately 40°13′N 26°26′E  /  40.217°N 26.433°E  / 40.217; 26.433 . The strait is 61 kilometres (38 mi) long, and 1.2 to 6 kilometres (0.7 to 3.7 mi) wide, averaging 55 metres (180 ft) deep with

3168-518: The US Pentagon confirmed Greece as one of five countries to be considered as potential new customers. In January 2020, Greece formally expressed interest in acquiring and participating in the F-35 programme, following a visit by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to the White House . A figure of twenty aircraft was initially floated, to be acquired following successful completion of

3264-400: The United States Air Force delivered sixty-two additional A-7Es and TA-7Cs increasing further the air-to-ground capabilities of the HAF. These aircraft remained in service until 2011. Until the late 1980s, the Air Force deployed missiles armed with U.S. nuclear warheads using the LTV TA-7C Corsair II . As a result of Greco-Turkish tension caused by the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus ,

3360-437: The 'Talos' modernisation programme. Subsequently, in 1989, the first fourth-generation fighter jets were introduced, marking the beginning of a new era: the first Mirage 2000 EG/BG aircraft were delivered to the 114 Combat Wing in Tanagra air force base, and equipped the 331 and 332 squadrons. In January 1989, the first F-16C/D Block 30 arrived in 111 Combat Wing in Nea Anchialos air force base, and were allocated to

3456-665: The 2021 Thessaloniki International Fair announced the purchase of six additional Rafale, bringing the total order number to twenty-four. Greece officially signed the new contract for the acquisition of six additional new Rafale aircraft on 24 March 2022, which follows Greece's acquisition of Rafales in January 2021, and increased number of Rafales to be operated to twenty-four aircraft. Dardanelles The Dardanelles ( / ˌ d ɑːr d ə ˈ n ɛ l z / DAR -də- NELZ ; Turkish : Çanakkale Boğazı , lit.   'Strait of Çanakkale'; Greek : Δαρδανέλλια , romanized :  Dardanéllia ), also known as

3552-464: The A-7 Corsair II to deploy tactical B61 nuclear warheads from Araxos Air Force Base. Greece then strategically decided to remove all nuclear weapons under storage in Greece, and did not purchase any more aircraft with nuclear mounting capabilities. In September 2004, Greece also decided to upgrade all of its existing Mirage 2000 to the Mirage 2000-5F (Mk2) standard, and place an additional order for fifteen new Mirage 2000-5Mk2 aircraft. The project

3648-406: The Air Force was rebuilt and organised according to NATO standards. New aircraft, including jets, were introduced. The first jet fighter flown by the RHAF was the Republic F-84G Thunderjet in 1955. It was also flown by the first Air Force aerobatic team 337 SQ 'Hellenic Flame' ( Greek : Ελληνική Φλόγα). The RF-84F entered service with the 348 Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron in 1956. Although

3744-445: The Dardanelles officials 6 follis. Cilician sea-merchants have to pay 3 follis and in addition to that, 1 keration (12 follis) to enter, and 2 keration to exit. – All wheat merchants have to pay the officials 3 follis per modius, and a further sum of 3 follis when leaving. Since the 14th century the Dardanelles have almost continuously been controlled by the Turks. The Dardanelles continued to constitute an important waterway during

3840-422: The F-4. This was on the same day as Turkey's approval to buy 40 F-16Vs and 79 modernisation kits for its F-16Cs. The procurement of 20 aircraft was approved by the Hellenic Parliament on 27 June 2024. Greece signed the relevant Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LoA) on July 25, 2024. The C-130B/H variants are coming to the end of their service lives and will need to be replaced soon. As announced in January 2023,

3936-441: The F-84G was replaced by the Canadair Sabre 2 in 1954 and 1955 after one-hundred units were retired from the Royal Canadian Air Force and upgraded in the United Kingdom before entering service with the RHAF, the RF-84F remained in service until 1991. The Lockheed T-33 was also delivered as a trainer in 1955. Some RT-33s were used for reconnaissance missions. In the late 1960s, the RHAF acquired new jet aircraft. These included

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4032-447: The Farman school in Étampes near Paris , but only four subsequently served in aviation. The first Greek civilian aviator that was given military rank was Emmanuel Argyropoulos , who flew in a Nieuport IV.G. 'Alkyon' aircraft, on 8 February 1912. The first military flight was made on 13 May 1912, by Lieutenant Dimitrios Kamberos . In June, Kamberos flew with the 'Daedalus', a Farman Aviation Works aircraft that had been converted into

4128-430: The Gallipoli peninsula, and the British cabinet ordered its withdrawal in December 1915, after eight months' fighting. Total Allied deaths included 41,000 British and Irish, 15,000 French, 8,700 Australians, 2,700 New Zealanders, 1,370 Indians and 49 Newfoundlanders. Total Turkish deaths were around 60,000. Following the war, the 1920 Treaty of Sèvres demilitarized the strait and made it an international territory under

4224-449: The German occupation of Greece, the Air Force was rebuilt under the expatriated Greek Air Force Ministry based in Cairo . Three squadrons were built, operating under the command of the British RAF . These squadrons were the 13th Light Bombing Squadron flying Avro Ansons , Bristol Blenheims , and Martin Baltimores , and the 335 and 336 Fighting Squadrons flying Hawker Hurricane I and IIs and Spitfire V types. The RHAF squadrons in

4320-533: The Greek Ministry of Defence (MoD), and Éric Trappier, chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, signed the contracts in Athens on 25 January. In June 2021, Dassault Aviation released the first photographs of Rafale F3R of the Hellenic Air Force, bearing the HAF roundel and fin flash , and in July, the first aircraft was officially delivered to Greece. The aircraft were commissioned to the 332 'Falcon' All-Weather Squadron , previously operating with Mirage 2000EGM/BGM jets. On 11 September 2021, Greek Prime Minister at

4416-470: The Heights'), and the HAF emblem represents a flying eagle in front of the Hellenic Air Force roundel . The General Air Staff (GEA) is based at the Papagou Camp in the Municipality of Filothei - Psychiko of the Prefecture of Attica. In 1911, the Greek Government appointed French specialists to form the Hellenic Aviation Service . Six Greek officers were sent to France for training, while the first four Farman type aircraft were ordered. All six graduated from

4512-421: The Hellenic Air Force and offered as F-16 52M by Lockheed Martin, due to the improved computing power of the onboard mission computer (MMC). The difference between the Block 52+ and the Block 52+ Advanced, is the LINK 16 communications system of the Advanced version, as well as a more powerful mission control computer, an extra multi-function display with a movable map navigation, advanced debriefing system, and

4608-477: The Hellenic Air Force is in talks to potentially buy the Embraer C-390 Millennium from the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer. A potential option of retired C-130Js from the Royal Air Force or Royal Australian Air Force did not produce any results, neither the two C-130H from the USAF that were promised by the US diplomat Antony Blinken as a free-of-charge package of help via EDA, as costs to return into flight status were significant high. Despite this, there

4704-421: The Italian invasion on air and ground had been successfully pushed back, aided by the vital contribution of the RHAF to the Greek victory. During the Greco-Italian War the Royal Hellenic Air Force shot down 68 enemy aircraft (official records) and claimed another 24. The British RAF claimed 150 additional air victories against Italian aircraft. However, the Italian Air Force recorded only 65 aircraft lost, during

4800-399: The Mirage jets. As well, the older F-16s may be sold to Ukraine which is in desperate need of new aircraft. The airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) in the current fleet is the Embraer E-99 fitted with the SAAB Erieye radar. This was introduced over twenty five-years ago, and it is ageing. SAAB has offered the "Erieye ER" upgraded radar, or the buying of the new GlobalEye as

4896-417: The P.24F version had 2 machine guns and 2 20mm autocannons, the remaining 24 planes of the P.24G version had 4 machine guns. In 1939, an order for 24 Marcel Bloch MB.151 fighter aircraft was placed, but only nine of the aircraft reached Greece, since the outbreak of World War II prevented the French from completing the order. The aircraft entered service in the 24th Pursuit Squadron (MD – Moira Dioxis ) of

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4992-410: The RAF achieved many victories. Rhodesian -born Wing Commander John Agorastos Plagis shot down 16 enemy aircraft over Malta and Western Europe. Lieutenant Vasilios Michael Vassiliadis was credited with 11.5 enemy aircraft over Western Europe before he was killed in action on 15 March 1945, over Germany. Steve Pisanos , an immigrant to the US in 1938, joined an Eagle Squadron of American volunteers in

5088-512: The RAF and fought over Western Europe. He later joined the USAAF and acquired US citizenship and continued to fly with the same squadron, now part of the USAF 4th FG . He had achieved ten victories with the USAAF by 1944. After Greece's liberation in 1944, RHAF returned to Greece and subsequently played a decisive role in the Greek Civil War , which lasted until 1950. By then, it was re-equipped with Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX, Spitfire Mk.XVI fighters, and Curtiss SB2C Helldiver bombers. After

5184-409: The Royal Hellenic Navy, British Admiral Mark Kerr . Greek aviation units participated in World War I and the Asia Minor Campaign , equipped by the Allies with a variety of French and British designs. In 1930, the Aviation Ministry was founded, establishing the Air Force as the third branch of the Hellenic Armed Forces . The Hellenic Army Air Service and Hellenic Naval Air Service were merged into

5280-499: The U.S. removed its nuclear weapons from Greek and Turkish alert units to storage. Greece saw this as another pro-Turkish move by NATO and withdrew its forces from NATO's military command structure from 1974 to 1980. In March 1985, the Greek government announced the purchase of thirty-four F-16C and six F-16D Block 30 variant in the 'Peace Xenia I' modernisation programme. In the same month, Greece ordered thirty-six single-seat Mirage 2000 EG and four two-seat Mirage 2000 BG, as part of

5376-566: The air force. During the Italian invasion of Greece (1940-1941) in the Second World War, although being severely outnumbered and counting only 79 aircraft against 380 fighters and bombers of the Italian Regia Aeronautica , RHAF managed to successfully resist the assault. On 30 October, two days after the start of the war, there was the first air battle. Some Henschel Hs126s of 3/2 Flight of 3 Observation Mira took off to locate Italian Army columns. But they were intercepted and attacked by Fiat CR.42 Falcos of 393 Squadriglia . A first Henschel

5472-467: The aircraft an excellent and modern platform for precision strikes. In 2000, Greece decided to purchase a large number of fighters to replace the remaining non-upgraded F-4E Phantoms, a number of A-7 Corsairs, and the fleet of Mirage F1CGs. An order for sixty F-16 Block 52 Plus was placed. The order was for fifty single-seaters of the C version and ten two-seaters of the D version. Until 2001, Greece participated in NATO's nuclear weapons sharing , using

5568-413: The capability to carry the RECCE reconnaissance pod. The first aircraft were delivered in May 2009, and operated by the 335 'Tiger' squadron at Araxos air base. Due to the retirement and obsolescence of units that had concluded their operational cycle (A-7E Corsair II and F-4 Phantom II), HAF was looking forward to acquiring new 4th , 4.5th or 5th generation fighters , and at the same time, maintain

5664-454: The city of Çanakkale's urban population of 110,000. The contemporary Turkish name Çanakkale Boğazı , meaning ' Çanakkale Strait', is derived from the eponymous midsize city that adjoins the strait, itself meaning 'pottery fort'—from چاناق ( çanak , 'pottery') + قلعه ( kale , 'fortress')—in reference to the area's famous pottery and ceramic wares, and the landmark Ottoman fortress of Sultaniye. The English name Dardanelles

5760-412: The control of the League of Nations . The Ottoman Empire's non-ethnically Turkish territories were broken up and partitioned among the Allied Powers, and Turkish jurisdiction over the straits curbed. After the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire following a lengthy campaign by Turks as part of the Turkish War of Independence against both the Allied Powers and the Ottoman court, the Republic of Turkey

5856-503: The customs office of the Dardanelles. Translation: ... Whoever dares to violate these regulations shall no longer be regarded as a friend, and he shall be punished. Besides, the administrator of the Dardanelles must have the right to receive 50 golden Litrons, so that these rules, which we make out of piety, shall never ever be violated... ... The distinguished governor and major of the capital, who already has both hands full of things to do, has turned to our lofty piety in order to reorganize

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5952-478: The end of the Greek Civil War in November 1950, Greece sent seven Douglas C-47 Dakota transport aircraft of the 13th Transport Aircraft Squadron to South Korea to assist the United Nations (UN). Greek aircraft participated in many battles including Battle of Chosin and operated in Korea until May 1955. Greek pilots flew thousands of missions including air evacuations, personnel transport, intelligence gathering, and supply flights. In 1952 Greece joined NATO , and

6048-501: The entire campaign against the Greeks and later the British, with 495 additional aircraft reported as damaged. In April 1941, the German Wehrmacht invaded Greece in order to assist the Italian assault. During this second wave of foreign invasion, the Luftwaffe eventually succeeded in destroying most of the Royal Hellenic Air Force. However, some aircraft managed to escape to the Middle East, including five Avro Anson , one Dornier Do 22 , one Arado 196 , and three Avro 626 . During

6144-512: The entire family of the Paveway (I, II and III) laser-guided bombs . These aircraft were the F-4E Peace Icarus 2000 (PI2000) or F-4E Phantom II AUP (Avionics Upgrade Programme) variants. Although gradual retirement of F-4 units started in 2017, they are still operational in multi-role missions with the 338 Squadron 'Ares' and the 339 Squadron 'Ajax' based in Andravida air force base. The F-4E Phantom II PI2000 (AUP) has been certified for use of GBU-27 Paveway III laser-guided bombs, making

6240-436: The entry and exit of all ships through the Dardanelles... ... Starting from our day and also in the future, anybody who wants to pass through the Dardanelles must pay the following: – All wine merchants who bring wine to the capital (Constantinopolis), except Cilicians , have to pay the Dardanelles officials 6 follis and 2 sextarius of wine. – In the same manner, all merchants of olive-oil, vegetables and lard must pay

6336-423: The first naval co-operation mission in history, which took place over the Dardanelles . Aided by the Royal Hellenic Navy , destroyer RHNS Velos , 1st Lieutenant Michael Moutoussis and Ensign Aristeidis Moraitinis flew the Farman hydroplane and drew up a diagram of the positions of the Turkish fleet, against which they dropped four bombs. This was not the first air-to-ground attack in military history, as there

6432-468: The first six aircraft could only arrive in Greece by 2022, at the earliest. On 30 June 2022, Greece's prime minister confirmed that the country has sent a request to the United States for the purchase of twenty F-35s, with the option of buying a second group of jets also being examined. The expected delivery date is 2027–2028. On 27 January 2024, it was announced that the USA approved the sale of 40 F-35s to Greece. These will replace ageing aircraft such as

6528-408: The land campaign. The Turks mined the straits to prevent Allied ships from penetrating them but, in minor actions two submarines, one British and one Australian, did succeed in penetrating the minefields. The British submarine sank an obsolete Turkish pre-dreadnought battleship off the Golden Horn of Istanbul. Sir Ian Hamilton 's Mediterranean Expeditionary Force failed in its attempt to capture

6624-470: The largest air forces in NATO , and is globally placed 18th out of 139 countries. Under the Kingdom of Greece from 1935 to 1973, it was previously known as the Royal Hellenic Air Force ( RHAF ) ([Ἑλληνικὴ Βασιλικὴ Ἀεροπορία] Error: {{Lang}}: invalid parameter: |3= ( help ) ). The Hellenic Air Force is one of the three branches of the Hellenic Armed Forces , and its mission is to guard and protect Greek airspace, provide air assistance and support to

6720-419: The latest F-16C/D Block 70/72 (F-16V Viper) standard, bringing capabilities to the fleet only available in 5th generation fighters such as the F-35 Lightning II . This upgrade was also considered by HAF as an essential first step for future compatibility with the F-35 fighter. Though HAF originally planned to upgrade all of its 123 Block 50/52+/52+ Advanced fighters and leave the Block 30 to receive parts of

6816-543: The new F3-R version, and would replace an equal number of older Mirage 2000EGM aircraft, that had not been previously upgraded to the 2000-5 Mk2 version. Finally in January 2021, the official agreement with Dassault Aviation was ratified in parliament, and included the purchase of six newly built, and twelve 'slightly used' F3-R aircraft in previous service with the Armée de l'Air , for a total cost of €2.4 billion, including their armament and ground support. Theodoros Lagios, Director General of Armament and Investments of

6912-560: The northeast quarter portion of the strait, was energised in April 2015 and provides 2 GW via 6 phases 400 kV AC 3.9 km far through the sea. The second, somewhat in the middle of the strait, was still under construction in June 2016 and will provide similar capabilities to the first line. Both subsea power lines cross 4 optical fibre data lines laid earlier along the strait. A published map shows communication lines leading from Istanbul into

7008-609: The period of the Ottoman Empire , which conquered Gallipoli in 1354. Ottoman control of the strait continued largely without interruption or challenges until the 19th century, when the Empire started its decline . Gaining control of, or guaranteed access to, the strait became a key foreign-policy goal of the Russian Empire during the 19th century. During the Napoleonic Wars , Russia—supported by Great Britain in

7104-626: The priestess Hero, but was ultimately drowned in a storm. The Dardanelles were vital to the defence of Constantinople during the Byzantine period. Also, the Dardanelles was an important source of income for the ruler of the region. At the Istanbul Archaeological Museum a marble plate contains a law by the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I (491–518 AD), that regulated fees for passage through

7200-507: The sale of eighteen to twenty-four F-35 jets to Greece, during U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to Athens earlier that month. The following month, Greece officially addressed a letter of intent (LoI) to the US Pentagon . In that LoI, Greece even showed interest in acquiring used USAF jets, if that meant initial deliveries could be agreed as early as 2021. According to earlier reports from Greek national daily Estia on 19 October however, an optimistic scenario would mean that

7296-460: The same day, 2nd Lieutenant Marinos Mitralexis having run out of ammunition, aimed the nose of his PZL P.24 right into the tail of an enemy CANT Z.1007bis bomber, smashing the rudder and sending the aircraft out of control. After 65 days of war, the RHAF had lost 31 officers, seven wounded, plus four NCOs killed and five wounded. Meanwhile, the number of combat aircraft had dropped to 28 fighters and 7 battle-worthy bombers. By March 1941,

7392-525: The selection process for the new HAF 5th generation fighter , Greece selected the Lockheed Martin F-35 as a replacement of its older F-16 Block 30s or F-4 Phantoms, and as complementary to the F-16V upgrade programme. The timeline for acquisition of the new aircraft, depended mainly on the country's fiscal plans and Washington's ability to offer a long-term payment framework. At the same time,

7488-491: The ships together with their bows facing the current and adding two additional anchors to each ship. From the perspective of ancient Greek mythology Helle , the daughter of Athamas, supposedly was drowned at the Dardanelles in the legend of the Golden Fleece . Likewise, the strait was the scene of the legend of Hero and Leander , wherein the lovesick Leander swam the strait nightly in order to tryst with his beloved,

7584-670: The straits area over the following decade. Following extensive diplomatic negotiations, the reversion was formalized under the Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Turkish Straits on 20 July 1936. That convention, which is still in force today, treats the straits as an international shipping lane while allowing Turkey to retain the right to restrict the naval traffic of non-Black Sea states. During World War II , through February 1945, when Turkey

7680-943: The straits to defend the Danube front and to attack the Crimean Peninsula during the Crimean War of 1853–1856 – but they did so as allies of the Ottoman Empire. Following the defeat of Russia in the Crimean War, the Congress of Paris in 1856 formally reaffirmed the London Straits Convention. In 1915 the Allies sent a substantial invasion force of British, Indian, Australian, New Zealand, French and Newfoundland troops to attempt to open up

7776-610: The straits. In the Gallipoli campaign , Turkish troops trapped the Allies on the coasts of the Gallipoli peninsula. The campaign damaged the career of Winston Churchill , then First Lord of the Admiralty (in office 1911–1915), who had eagerly promoted the (unsuccessful) use of Royal Navy sea power to force open the straits. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk , subsequent founder of the Republic of Turkey , served as an Ottoman commander during

7872-839: The upgraded ones, due to lack of funds, HAF decided to proceed with only Block 52+/52+ Advanced. After that, the Hellenic Air Force General Staff seemed to have decided to upgrade Block 50s to Block 50Ms (for Modernized), using equipment from the upgraded, without any final conclusion as of September 2024. The upgrade programme is scheduled to be completed by 2027, and carried out exclusively in Greece by Hellenic Aerospace (HAI). As of July 2024, 20 aircraft have been upgraded. In addition, Block 30s were decided not to receive any kind of modernization. Various proposals were made about selling them in Croatia, Lockheed Martin, USAF/USN or UAE. As of September 2024, there

7968-595: The upgrading of the Greek F-16 fleet in 2027. However, reports in September and October 2020, claimed that Greece could receive at least six F-35 jets much earlier, originally built for Turkey before its ouster from the programme, after the latter conducted tests of the S-400 missile systems purchased from Russia . In late-October 2020, it was made public that the United States and Greece had further discussed

8064-532: The width of the Hellespont at Abydos , in order that his huge army could cross from Persia into Greece . This crossing was named by Aeschylus in his tragedy The Persians as the cause of divine intervention against Xerxes. According to Herodotus (vv.34), both bridges were destroyed by a storm and Xerxes had those responsible for building the bridges beheaded and the strait itself whipped. The Histories of Herodotus vii.33–37 and vii.54–58 give details of building and crossing of Xerxes' Pontoon Bridges . Xerxes

8160-437: Was $ 160 million. In addition, some long-awaited programmes were rescheduled for the future. The HAF modernisation programme estimated in 2007 that a purchase of forty-five advance training aircraft, fifteen search and rescue (SAR) helicopters, and forty-to-sixty new fighters was necessary. Some of these programmes were either postponed, or eventually cancelled. The Hellenic Air Force currently possesses several fighter types and

8256-610: Was a precedent in the Turkish-Italian war of 1911, but the first recorded attack against ships from the air. Initially, the Hellenic Army and the Royal Hellenic Navy operated separate Army Aviation and Naval Aviation units. During the Balkan Wars, various French Henry and Maurice Farman aircraft types were used. The Hellenic Naval Air Service was officially founded in 1914 by the then Commander in Chief (CnC) of

8352-434: Was created in 1923 by the Treaty of Lausanne , which established most of the modern sovereign territory of Turkey and restored the straits to Turkish territory, with the condition that Turkey keep them demilitarized and allow all foreign warships and commercial shipping to traverse the straits freely. As part of its national security strategy, Turkey eventually rejected the terms of the treaty, and subsequently remilitarized

8448-515: Was delivered on 25 July 1997. These aircraft, equipped with the LANTIRN navigation and targeting pod, along with AIM-120 AMRAAM and AGM-88 HARM missiles, were allocated to the 341 'Arrow' and 347 'Perseus' squadrons in Nea Anchialos air force base. The basic mission of 341 'Arrow' squadron is Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD). The role of 347 'Perseus' squadron is air-to-ground missions. In 1998, Greece decided, in collaboration with

8544-476: Was hit and crashed, killing its observer, Pilot Officer Evanghelos Giannaris, the first Greek aviator to die in the war. A second Hs126 was downed over Mount Smolikas , killing Pilot Officer Lazaros Papamichail and Sergeant Constantine Yemenetzis. On 2 November 1940, a Breguet 19 intercepted the 3 Alpine Division Julia while it was penetrating the Pindos mountain range in an attempt to occupy Metsovo . On

8640-680: Was located near the western entrance of the strait, and the strait's Asiatic shore was the focus of the Trojan War . Troy was able to control the marine traffic entering this vital waterway. The Persian army of Xerxes I of Persia and later the Macedonian army of Alexander the Great crossed the Dardanelles in opposite directions to invade each other's lands, in 480 BC and 334 BC respectively. Herodotus says that, circa 482 BC, Xerxes I (the son of Darius ) had two pontoon bridges built across

8736-530: Was neutral for most of the length of the conflict, the Dardanelles were closed to the ships of the belligerent nations. Turkey declared war on Germany in February 1945, but it did not employ any offensive forces during the war. In July 1946, the Soviet Union sent a note to Turkey proposing a new régime for the Dardanelles that would have excluded all nations except the Black Sea powers. The second proposal

8832-428: Was no change in their status, remaining active, although Defense Minister Nikos Dendias has stated that Greek government is interested in selling them. Latest decisions on the 38 Block 50s point out that they are going to be upgraded to Viper standard, giving a total of 121 Vipers instead of the in-base modernization that was planned from spare equipment of Block52+/52+ Advanced. The Greek government has already sent

8928-558: Was officially the first air force in the world to add the F-16 Block 52 Plus to its inventory, since the first aircraft were delivered. This advanced F-16 type is an improved version of the Block 50, featuring a more powerful radar, conformal fuel tanks for longer operational range , advanced communication systems, an upgraded engine, Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS), and is capable of carrying more advanced weapons, including

9024-529: Was that the straits should be put under joint Turkish-Soviet defence. This meant that Turkey, the Soviet Union, Bulgaria and Romania would be the only states having access to the Black Sea through the Dardanelles. The Turkish government however, under pressure from the United States, rejected these proposals. Turkey joined NATO in 1952, thus affording its straits even more strategic importance as

9120-471: Was the ancient name of the narrow strait. It was variously named in classical literature Hellespontium Pelagus , Rectum Hellesponticum , and Fretum Hellesponticum . It was so called from Helle , the daughter of Athamas, who was drowned here in the mythology of the Golden Fleece . As a maritime waterway , the Dardanelles connects various seas along the Eastern Mediterranean ,

9216-546: Was undertaken by Dassault Aviation and the Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI/EAB). The Mirage 2000-5Mk2 has a new and more powerful radar, improved long range air-to-ground capabilities which includes the SCALP EG cruise missile , a new self-protection system (SPS), a new inertial navigation system (INS), a glass cockpit , and the addition of aerial refuelling capability. Eventually in 2005, HAF

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