Fifth-generation fighter

Parliament on Tuesday will approve the procurement program for 35 Black Hawk (UH-60M) helicopters at a total cost of 1.15 billion euros, with Defense Minister Nikos Dendias stressing on Monday that by 2030 Greece country should have 200 4.5- and 5th-generation aircraft, envisioning a fleet of F-16 Vipers, Rafales and F-35s.

Türkiye will focus its efforts on advancing its domestically produced fifth-generation fighter jet, KAAN, amid uncertainty over its potential return to the F-35 joint strike fighter program, defense sources have said. 

Turkey's KAAN, its first national combat aircraft, completed its first flight on Wednesday, part of the country's efforts to upgrade its air force.

NATO member Turkey launched its TF-X project to produce a national combat aircraft in 2016. Turkish aerospace firm TUSAS signed a deal with Britain's BAE Systems worth $125 million in 2017 to develop the next-generation fighter jet.

The American commitment to reinforce Greece with fifth-generation fighter jets, along with the sale of a number of more sophisticated F-16s, is indicative, at least for now, of Washington's wish to maintain a certain balance of air power in the Aegean.