Origins 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 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 a
seaplane, setting a new average speed world record at . In September of the same year, the
Greek Army fielded its first squadron, the 'Aviators Company' (
Greek:
Λόχος Αεροπόρων).
Balkan Wars and aftermath (1912–1930) airfield, after the
Mudros armistice.|alt= 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 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 the first naval co-operation mission in history, which took place over the
Dardanelles. Aided by the
Royal Hellenic Navy, destroyer RHNS , 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 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 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.
Foundation, World War II and Civil War (1930–1950) in Egypt, 1942.|alt= 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 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 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 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 393a
Squadriglia. A first Henschel 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 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. including five
Avro Anson, one
Dornier Do 22, one
Arado 196, and three
Avro 626. During 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 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 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 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.
Post-war developments (1950–1970) After 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 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 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 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 F1CG 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, 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.
Modernisation (1980–1997) taking off.|alt= 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, 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 2000EG and four two-seat
Mirage 2000BG, as part of 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 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 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.
Entering the 21st century (1998–2007) MALE UAV of the Hellenic Air Force, landing in
Chios airport after new sensors testing.|alt= In 1998, Greece decided, in collaboration with 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 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 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 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 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. 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 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 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 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.
Later years and Greek economic crisis (2007–2018) Due to the retirement & obsolescence of units that had concluded their operational cycle (
A-7E Corsair II &
F-4 Phantom II), HAF was looking forward to acquiring new
4th,
4.5th, or
5th generation fighters, and, at the same time, maintain a total number of three-hundred advanced fighters, also according to the Supreme Air Force Council's
2007–2012 operational planning - 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 & maintenance. 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 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.
Post economic crisis (2018–present) The Hellenic Air Force currently possesses several fighter types and is in the process of obtaining new ones. The HAF currently consists of several
F-4s, several variants of the
F-16,
Mirage 2000s, and
Rafales. As well, Greece is in the process of obtaining several
F-35s. In March 2024, Defence Minister
Nikos Dendias announced that the F-4s will be retired and the older F-16s & Mirage 2000s will be sold off, streamlining the HAF. This streamlining can be of benefit to other countries, such as India, which may buy the older Mirage jets. As well, the older F-16s may be sold to Ukraine, which is in desperate need of new aircraft. ==Developing programmes==