The official start of the Greek F-35 fighter jet production program will be given in the coming weeks, Mara Madruway, vice president of strategy and business development at Lockheed Martin, told Greek newspaper Kathimerini. Madurowey was in Athens for the DEFEA 2025 international defense and security exhibition and revealed interesting information about the fifth-generation Greek fighter jets.

In May, the US Department of Defense approved a $17.2 million contract with Lockheed Martin for engineering and technical support for Greece's inclusion in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.

At the same time, the first group of Greek Air Force officers is preparing to leave for Virginia to join the Joint Program Office (JPO), which oversees the F-35's international partners.

"Production of Greek fighter jets will begin with a batch of 20, for which long-term procurement has already begun, with full production scheduled for 2027. After production, we expect the first delivery at the end of 2028, with the arrival of the first aircraft in Greece planned for 2030. All Greek aircraft will be in the latest available configuration," Madruway said.

The Lockheed Martin representative also rejected reports of a "kill switch" in the F-35.

There is also slow but steady progress in the program to upgrade Greece's F-16 Block 50 aircraft. Next week, a Lockheed Martin team will have another meeting with Greek Air Force officers, and at the end of the month, the Chief of Staff of the Hellenic Air Force (HAFGS), Lieutenant General Dimosthenis Grigoriadis, is expected to travel to the United States, where he will be briefed in detail on both the F-16 and the F-35. | BGNES