Government officials signed a letter of offer and acceptance (LOA) through a U.S. government foreign military sale Thursday, making the country the 19th to purchase the aircraft, the company said.

• READ MORE: Embraer Signs A-29 Super Tucano Deal With Paraguay

“We are excited to welcome Greece into the F-35 enterprise,” U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Mike Schmidt, director and program executive officer of the F-35 Joint Program Office, said in a statement. “The F-35 will provide exceptional capability to the Hellenic Air Force, build interoperability between our allies, and strengthen the combat effectiveness for all of NATO.”

• READ MORE: Last Known Battle of Britain Pilot Turns 105

The Hellenic Air Force also operates F-16s and C-130s, as well as S-70 B and MH-60R helicopters, according to Lockheed Martin. Earlier this year, Greece also signed an LOA worth nearly $2 billion for the purchase of 35 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters.

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The first-of-its-kind competition, dubbed “Ramstein 1v1,” challenged combat pilots from the U.S., U.K., Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, and Germany.

The meeting was assembled in light of Russian ground gains in Ukraine during the third year of the war that rages at “NATO’s doorstep,” the Air Force Times reported. The allied nations’ air forces envision a need to sharpen air-to-air combat skills as tensions with Russia and China threatened to boil over to a shooting war that would put some of the world’s most advanced air forces head-to-head for the first time in decades.

Aircraft on the ramp at Ramstein included U.S.-built F-35A Lightnings, F-16 Fighting Falcons, F/A-18s, and A-4 Skyhawks, as well as Eurofighter Typhoons and French Dassault Rafales.

“Basic fighter maneuvering is a foundational skill set for fighter pilots,” Lieutenant Colonel Michael Loringer, U.S. Air Force-Europe (USAFE) chief of weapons and tactics, said in a statement. “It tests a pilot’s reaction time, physical stamina, and situational awareness. There is no better way to build trust in a pilot’s aircraft or a pilot’s skills than to engage one-on-one.”

“We don’t want to go to war with Russia, and I don’t think they want to go to war with us, either,” USAFE Commander General James Hecker told the Air Force Times last July. “But we need to make sure that we have the forces capable of deterring them so that nothing bad will happen.”

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

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“As a pilot and avgeek, trying to find high-quality T-shirts, hats, tumblers, golf shirts, and hoodies that feature my favorite aircraft in a single location has been challenging,” said Craig Fuller, CEO of Firecrown (parent of FLYING) and the owner of Aeroswag. “With Aeroswag’s new product line, I found hundreds of T-shirts that I would like to have in my closet. Unfortunately, my wife will only let me have around a dozen, so the hardest part will be narrowing down my selections.”

The aircraft featured in the online catalog include the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, Wright Flyer, Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, Cessna 182 Skylane, Beechcraft Bonanza, Learjet 45, Bombardier Global, and hundreds more. The catalog also includes kitbuilt aircraft, various modifications, and even gyrocopters. 

“If you’re looking for a great T-shirt with an awesome illustration of virtually any aircraft produced in quantity, Aeroswag’s new product line is where you will find it,” Fuller said. 

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For most of its first century the RCAF has generally punched above its weight in terms of capability and influence, playing a major role in World War II and in Cold War defense of North America. Although it has struggled with procurement and personnel issues in the last 20 years, the RCAF is currently on a massive rebuilding program. It has ordered 88 F-35s, 16 P-8 Poseidons and nine A330 transport/tankers and is overhauling its flight training division. It is also creating a drone squadron with 11 MQ-9B Reapers to be deployed at three bases.

• READ MORE: Canada Pledges $60 Million for Ukraine F-16s

“As we continue to face threats to global stability, the RCAF is more important than ever. That is why the Government of Canada has invested $44 billion over the past 16 months to provide the RCAF with 138 new or refurbished aircraft—from a new fleet of fighter jets to new multi-mission aircraft,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a statement. “This strategic investment is the largest recapitalization of the RCAF in a generation, and it will ensure that the RCAF is well positioned to contribute to operations at home and abroad for decades to come.”

The RCAF’s air demonstration teams, the Snowbirds, and the F-18 demo team are now training for the coming airshow season. The Snowbirds will perform at EAA AirVenture in July, and the F-18 is now being painted in commemorative livery for its shows across Canada and the U.S.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

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NATO’s 50 million euro ($54.3 million) investment took five years to complete and included renovations to the base’s control tower, runways, hangars, and storage facilities. The project marks one of the alliance’s largest investments in Albania, which joined the alliance in 2009.

The airfield, which is located about 50 miles south of the country’s capital of Tirana, is set to serve Albania while also supporting NATO logistics, training and exercises.

• READ MORE: NATO Conducts ‘Find, Fix, Track, Target’ Exercise Over Poland 

The airbase’s reopening and resumption of aircraft operations was celebrated in a ceremony Monday, marking NATO’s increased footing in the region. During the event, pairs of U.S. F-16s and F-35s flew overhead while two Italian Eurofighters landed on the newly resurfaced runway. Albania, which does not operate fighter jets, participated by landing its Bayraktar TB2 drones.

“This is a base that (will add) another element of security for our Western Balkans region, which we all know that it is a region endangered from the threat and neo-imperialist ambitions of the Russian Federation,” Albania Prime Minister Edi Rama said during the event, according to a Reuters report.

• READ MORE: NATO Air Forces Conduct Aerial Combat Drills Over Estonia

Said Dylan White, NATO acting spokesperson, in a statement: “The airbase will serve as an important NATO air hub. The makeover of Kuçova Air Base is a strategic investment and shows that NATO continues to strengthen its presence in the Western Balkans, an area of strategic importance to the alliance.”

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The U.S. fighter jets and tanker deployed from bases in the U.K., according to NATO.

• READ MORE: NATO Air Forces Conduct Aerial Combat Drills Over Estonia

As part of the drill conducted Thursday, the multinational aircraft conducted a “find, fix, track, and target”—or F2T2—exercise.

“F2T2 exercises require participating members to execute multidomain operations by employing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets to locate and communicate potential target locations to other aircraft with capabilities to strike the targets in an established time limit,” NATO said.

The aerial drill took place as concern grows that NATO’s eastern flank could potentially face conflict with Russia within the next decade. Last week, Estonia Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said during a speech in Poland that intelligence indicates that allied forces have about three or four years to strengthen defenses before Russia prepares a “test for NATO,” the Associated Press reported. 

• READ MORE: NATO to Modernize AWACS Fleet with Boeing E-7A

The Boeing E-3A Sentry surveillance aircraft, known as NATO’s “eyes in the sky,” is part of the alliance’s fleet of 14 surveillance aircraft expected to retire around 2035. The aircraft is based on a Boeing 707 airliner and features a distinctive radar dome mounted on the fuselage. Flown by a three aircrew and staffed with a dozen AWACS operators, the aircraft conducts a range of missions, from air policing to evacuation operations and a spectrum of wartime missions.

• READ MORE: NATO Says Allied Forces Intercepted More Than 300 Russian Aircraft in 2023

The aircraft is capable of a total surveillance area of around 120,000 square miles, which is around the size of Poland.

Last year, NATO selected the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail to modernize the AWACS fleet, and the first of those aircraft are expected to be operational by 2031..

Watch: NATO’s ‘Eyes in the Sky’ Explained

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The signed a letter of offer and acceptance (LOA) for the latest advanced Block 4 configuration aircraft is worth about $6.6 billion and represents the largest purchase made by the Czech military, ABC News reported.

• READ MORE: Czech Republic Sets Eyes on Embraer C-390 for Military Transport

The purchase, which will make the Czech Republic Air Force the 18th to operate the fighter jet, also includes personnel training, as well as service and logistical support, Lockheed Martin said.

“We are pleased the government of Czech Republic is now officially a part of the F-35 Lightning II program of record,” U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Mike Schmidt, program executive officer, F-35 Joint Program Office, said in a statement. “This partnership with the Czech Ministry of Defense will deliver and sustain the F-35 aircraft for decades, while providing the Czech Air Force with unmatched interoperability and ensuring it has the capability to counter current and future threats.”

• READ MORE: US Approves Sales of F-16s to Turkey, F-35s to Greece

The first Czech F-35s are expected to be delivered to the Czech Republic Air Force in 2031, Lockheed Martin said.

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The purchase approvals, announced late Friday, set the stage for a significant expansion of NATO air power and came hours after Turkey ratified its approval of Sweden joining the alliance.

“Sweden’s entry into NATO will make the whole alliance stronger,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday. “I look forward to Hungary’s ratification as soon as the parliament reconvenes.”

• READ MORE: NATO Launches Exercise with 90,000 Troops, Largest in Decades

The approval for the possible foreign military sale of 40 new F-16 aircraft and upgrades of 79 existing F-16s granted to Turkey comes as the country’s existing fleet approaches the end of its service life, the State Department said. The approval included 32 F-16 C Block 70 aircraft and eight F-16 D Block 70 aircraft, along with 40 installed F110-GE-129D engines and eight spares.

“These new and refurbished aircraft will provide Turkey with a fleet of modernized multirole combat aircraft to enable it to provide for the defense of its airspace, contribute to NATO missions to preserve regional security and defend NATO allies, and maintain interoperability with U.S. and NATO forces,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement Friday. “Turkey has F-16 aircraft in its inventory and will have no difficulty absorbing these aircraft and services into its armed forces.” 

U.S. officials also cleared the path Friday for the possible sale to Greece of up to 40 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Conventional Takeoff and Landing aircraft. That approval also included 40 installed Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 engines, along with two spares.

“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security of the United States by improving the air capabilities and interoperability of a NATO ally that is a force for political and economic stability in Europe,” DSCA said in a statement.

• READ MORE: Slovak Air Force Takes Delivery of First 2 F-16 Block 70 Jets

Defense officials in Athens, Greece, said they expect deliveries to begin in 2027-28, Reuters reported.

Congress was notified of the approval determinations for both Turkey and Greece on January 26, DSCA said.

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The rehearsal—referred to as “Steadfast Defender 24″—aims to demonstrate how U.S. forces and the alliance would reinforce the Euro-Atlantic during a “simulated emerging conflict scenario against a near-peer adversary,” NATO said. The exercise includes more than 80 air platforms, including F-35 Lightning IIs, F/A-18 Hornets, Harriers, F-15 Eagles, helicopters, and uncrewed aerial vehicles.

• READ MORE: NATO Says Allied Forces Intercepted More Than 300 Russian Aircraft in 2023.

The maneuvers represent a “record number of troops that we can bring to bear and have an exercise within that size, across the alliance, across the ocean from the U.S. to Europe,” Admiral Rob Bauer, chair of the NATO Military Committee, said in a PBS report.

The exercise is the largest since the Cold War and largely seen as a show of force meant to send a signal of deterrence to Russia.

• READ MORE: NATO to Modernize AWACS Fleet with Boeing E-7A

“For the first time in 30 years, we have the strategy—deterrence and defense of the Euro-Atlantic area—and we have the plans to make the Alliance fit for the purpose of collective territorial defense,” General Christopher Cavoli, the supreme allied commander in Europe, said Thursday. “We are now in the process of making our plans executable. This means making sure we have the force commitments, command and control arrangements, and the enablement our plans require.”

• READ MORE: NATO Ramps Up Maritime Air Patrols in Baltic Sea

While NATO did not reference Russia directly, the rehearsal of U.S. forces supporting allies on the eastern flank prompted a rebuke from a top Russian official Sunday, according to Reuters.

NATO’s new defence plans will strengthen and modernise our force structure to protect and defend every inch of Allied territory

These plans will be tested and put to action during exercise #SteadfastDefender24 pic.twitter.com/HpEw7ftfEj

— NATO (@NATO) January 22, 2024

“These exercises are another element of the hybrid war unleashed by the West against Russia,”  Alexander Grushko, Russia’s deputy foreign minister,  told Russian state news agency RIA, according to a Reuters report. “An exercise of this scale…marks the final and irrevocable return of NATO to the Cold War schemes, when the military planning process, resources, and infrastructure are being prepared for confrontation with Russia.”

“Steadfast Defender 24” is scheduled to run through the end of May.

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A small number of Ukrainian fighter pilots began to train in F-16 fundamentals with the 162nd Wing, Arizona Air National Guard (ANG) at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson in October. Called the “face of the USAF to the world,” the ANG wing has trained pilots from 25 countries to fly the F-16.

• READ MORE: Norway to Send F-16s to Denmark for Ukrainian Pilot Training

“That training does continue in Arizona,” Major General Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, told reporters Thursday. “As you know…depending on the skill level of the pilot, that can range from five to eight months. And so, I would expect…sometime later this year we’ll start to see those pilots graduate.”

News of the pilots’ progression comes as additional F-16 training opportunities begin to come online for Ukrainian pilots in Europe. Ukrainian officials have long sought access to the fighter jet in order to modernize its air force and improve its defense ability following Russia’s invasion in 2022.

• READ MORE: First Ukrainian F-16 Pilots Finish Training in UK

Earlier this week, Norway’s defense minister announced that the country was sending two of its F-16s to Denmark to facilitate the training of Ukrainian pilots. The Royal Norwegian Air Force had already sent 10 instructors to the Royal Danish Air Force Fighter Wing in Skrydstrup, Denmark, where the training will take place.

On Friday, the pair of fighters arrived at Skrydstrup, the Norwegian Armed Forces (NAF) said.

• READ MORE: European F-16 Training Center Opens in Romania

“It is nice to finally get the Norwegian planes down here to Skrydstrup.” Lieutenant Colonel Bård Bakke, who heads the Norwegian detachment in Denmark, said in a statement. “After over 40 years in service for the Norwegian Air Force, in training and operations in Norway and abroad, the aircraft will now be used to help Ukraine in its defense struggle. Now we can contribute even more in support of Ukraine.”

Norway retired its fleet of F-16s in January 2022, replacing them with the F-35. At least 32 of the decommissioned F-16s have already been sold to Romania, according to the military.

“Since the mission to support Ukraine came in July 2023, personnel from across the defense sector have been working to get the F-16 back into service after two years on the ground,” NAF said.

• READ MORE: Ukraine Readies to Produce ‘Dozens of Thousands’ of Drones Per Month

The Ukrainian pilots enrolled in the training already have experience operating other types of fighter aircraft, albeit from the Soviet era.

“The transition to the full effect of the F-16 will be a long-term effort,” NAF said. “Even if a certain effect is expected from the start, it will take time before Ukraine operates the F-16 according to Western standards.”

• READ MORE: NATO Says Allied Forces Intercepted More Than 300 Russian Aircraft in 2023

In November, the European F-16 Training Center opened in Romania. The facility, located at Romanian Air Force 86th Air Base near Fetești, Romania, will train pilots from Romania and Ukraine. Five Dutch F-16s have been delivered to the center, and the Netherlands has also pledged to provide up to 18 F-16s for flight training.

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