Turkish military planes embark on violations spree

In what is seen as a response to an ongoing annual exercise by the Hellenic Navy in the Aegean, Turkish jets violated Greek national airspace 99 times yesterday, according to the Hellenic National Defense General Staff (GEETHA). Forty-six of those violations were conducted by fighter jets and the other 53 by CN-235 surveillance aircraft. With regard to the violations by the fighter jets, GEETHA said that a pair of Turkish F-16s conducted overflights over Kinaros in the eastern Aegean at 27,000 feet early yesterday morning. Later in the day another two F-16s flew over the eastern Aegean islets of Farmakonisi, Arkoi and Lipsoi. All the Turkish violations took place at high altitudes – between 22,000 and 27,000 feet – but they were over inhabited areas, which, authorities say, has become increasingly more common.

Meanwhile, the US Pentagon has reiterated Greece’s potential interest in purchasing F35 fighter jets. The Defense Ministry had initially submitted an inquiry with a letter of price and availability in February 2017. Speaking to the US Congress on Monday, Vice Admiral Mathias Winter, the head of the Pentagon’s F-35 office, said the “future potential foreign military sales customers include Singapore, Greece, Romania, Spain and Poland,” according to Reuters. This, however, does not necessarily mean that Greece will indeed purchase the jets, given its fiscal constraints. Given the current situation, even if Greece were to proceed with a bid to purchase F35s, it would concern 15 to 20 jets and this would take place over a period of 10 years.

Meanwhile, amid tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, US Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt yesterday reiterated Washington’s commitment to its alliance with Athens during an event held by the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington.