And something to cheer us all up, Zorbas song by HAF orchestra: 🙂 😀

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1dFd5eFuCA#t=01m57s

It’s very funny at 04:18 where they leave down their instruments and start dancing with their uniforms :p

Greece:

80s: HAF asked for 100 F-18‘s. Got 40 F-16’s and 40 Mirage 2000’s instead.
90s: HAF asked for F-15’s. Got more F-16’s, Mirage-2000’s.

Actually we asked for the F-18L, not F-18A/B.
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showpost.php?p=1528378&postcount=553

In the 1999, HAF opted for the F-15H, a poor export version of the F-15E. Glad that did not happen.

What can they possibly prove with six?

That was what I was wondering too. But then I made a small search on the air forces of the neighbouring countries and it would seem that just six would be more than enough after all…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya_Air_Force <— F-5Ms
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudanese_Air_Force <— North Sudan, MiG-29s + a few F-7s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudan_People%27s_Liberation_Army/Movement#Aircraft <— nihil
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Force_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo <— a few MiG-23s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwandan_Defence_Forces#Air_Force <— nihil
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanzania_People%27s_Defence_Force#Air_Force <— a few F-7s

I would think that just two of them in the air would be enough to wipe out whatever in the area.

According to this article, this M2K also might be repaired and get back to service. Personally I doubt it, since it’s not a dash 5. However, just for the record, a few years ago another M2K (an EGM version) also crashed in the water near the island of Skyros, but it was recovered soon (had not crashed too deep), was repaired and got back to flying condition. However it was a rather unpleasant precedure since in that case the pilot had failed to eject and drowned inside the cockpit.

According to the updated defencenet article, the accident happened because of a defective ball bearing, which broke and on its turn caused the rest of the binding mechanism of the wheel to break and release the wheel. Also, now defencenet says that the parachute wasn’t used…

According to news site based in Patras (right next to Araxos AFB), the chute was actually deployed.

http://www.thebest.gr/news/index/viewStory/69676

But chute-no-chute, the achievement was impressive either way. Perhaps it’s even the very first time it happens…

In an unprecedented occasion,(IMHO probably having to do with morale boosting of the pilots that suffered wages cuts), the President of the Republic accepted 3 HAF pilots to congratulate them for their performance.

I don’t think it’s unprecedented, the president has occasionally accepted and congratulated many unifοrmed personnel in his office honoris causa, including athletes, police officers WIA, even simple conscripts who excelled in their duties. (for example)

Regardless of that, this is definately the highest honour and recognition one can receive in this god-forsaken country.

@Hawx, no prob mate but let it be known that I had discovered fire
before you said something incorrect, as a matter of tribal pride!:D

For your convenience, this is what I said:

Yes it is. But it has no infrastructure for French fighters; no spares, no weapons, nothing. Everything needs to be flown in. So basically a Rafale could only refuel in Crete at this time.

And this is your two week-old press release:

Les Mirage 2000D seront opérationnels à La Sude demain, quand l’ensemble du détachement aura achevé sa montée en puissance avec le ralliement du personnel de soutien, transmission, imagerie etc., mis en place par A340 et C160.

Wow. Well, what can I say then? After all, the press release that YOU posted, does not contradict what I said. So no problem indeed! Hence the “caveman’s enthusiasm for discovering fire” comment. :p

It’s not really a matter of politics, but rather economics. It is true that our current PM and his father before him where close allies with Gadafi (one of the very few in the west), but it is even more true that even offering a single warplane on this mission would make terrible headlines for the government’s already collapsing profile. Imagine: “The government is cutting off the pensions and at the same time is pouring millions of euros on somebody else’s dirty war”. :rolleyes:

Indeed, the Souda base both air and naval, alone is invaluable enough for the operations over Libya.

Greece has not bombed-anything anywhere since the Korean War.