Greece hits halfway in F-16 Viper upgrades as 42nd jet enters Hellenic Air Force service
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Lockheed Martin said the Hellenic Air Force’s 42nd F-16 upgraded to the Viper (Block 70/72) standard entered service on Sept. 23, marking the program’s halfway point. The delivery boosts NATO interoperability and Greece’s air defense in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Lockheed Martin Europe announced on September 23, 2025, that the 42nd Hellenic Air Force F-16 upgraded to the Viper standard has entered service, marking the halfway point of Greece’s fleet modernization. The company framed the milestone as a boost to allied operations and a reaffirmation of its commitment to deliver mission-ready capability. The program converts the HAF’s Block 52+/52M inventory to the Block 70/72 configuration centered on Northrop Grumman’s APG-83 AESA radar, a refreshed mission computer, a high-resolution center pedestal display, Mode 5 IFF, Link-16, and safety enhancements such as Auto-GCAS. The Vipers retain the internal 20 mm M61A1 cannon and integrate a broad NATO weapons set spanning air superiority and precision strike.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
Hellenic Air Force F-16V with APG-83 AESA radar, advanced mission computer, Link-16 data link, Auto-GCAS safety, and full NATO weapons integration for air defense and precision strike (Picture source: Hellenic Air Force).
The Viper kit revolves around the APG-83 SABR, which brings high-resolution synthetic aperture radar mapping, interleaved air-to-air and air-to-surface modes, and improved electronic protection derived from fifth-generation lineages. For pilots operating over the Aegean’s complex littoral terrain, the radar’s faster track updates, longer-range detection, and robust look-down performance over clutter are decisive advantages. Compared to the legacy APG-68, SABR’s simultaneous search and track allows crews to prosecute beyond-visual-range intercepts while maintaining a continuous surface picture and threat awareness.The 6×8-inch center pedestal display fuses radar returns, targeting-pod video, and digital moving maps into a single high-fidelity view, easing sensor cueing through the JHMCS II helmet. The modular mission computer delivers higher throughput for multi-sensor fusion and advanced weapons employment, while MIDS/Link-16 networking and Mode 5 IFF ensure full NATO interoperability. Greece’s Vipers also operate with an internal self-protection suite commonly referred to as ASPIS II, integrating a digital radar warning receiver, internal jamming, and ALE-47 countermeasures dispensers to automate threat response and reduce pilot workload.
Production cadence indicates the workshare at Hellenic Aerospace Industry’s Tanagra facilities has matured. After initial prototype flights and early deliveries proved the upgrade path, throughput climbed steadily in 2024–2025, pushing the program over the midpoint this month. Public planning figures point to more than eighty Block 52+/52M aircraft slated for conversion, a number that aligns with the HAF’s long-term objective to standardize its legacy F-16 fleet around a common avionics and sensor baseline. At the current pace, completion around the latter half of the decade remains achievable.
On weapons and mission sets, the Viper configuration lifts the HAF’s F-16 into a different tier. Air-to-air, the jets field AIM-120C AMRAAM for BVR combat and IRIS-T for high-off-boresight engagements cued by JHMCS, a pairing that gives Greek pilots a credible first-shot advantage and resilience. In the strike role, SAR mapping from APG-83 combined with GPS/INS-guided JDAM and stand-off JSOW enables day-night, all-weather precision against defended point targets. Suppression of enemy air defenses benefits from improved geolocation and datalink cueing for AGM-88 profiles. For maritime interdiction and island-defense scenarios, the radar’s sea-search modes and Link-16 cooperative targeting compress the find-fix-finish timeline across the archipelago.
The blend of SABR, a modern mission computer, Auto-GCAS, and a fused cockpit enables single-ship crews to manage denser threat environments with lower workload and higher survivability. The radar can search, track, and map concurrently, letting pilots maintain terrain and surface awareness while setting up look-down shots. Helmet-cued sightlines accelerate target sorting and off-boresight missile employment, while Mode 5 and Link-16 reduce fratricide risk and tighten kill chains with ground and maritime sensors. The ASPIS-equipped self-protection architecture improves resilience to contemporary surface-to-air systems, supporting escort SEAD and reactive suppression when the threat picture shifts mid-sortie.
The halfway mark lands as Greece reshapes its combat-air order of battle alongside new-build Rafales and a signed Letter of Offer and Acceptance for F-35A fighters later this decade. The Viper upgrade ensures that fourth-generation mass remains interoperable with fifth-generation tactics and data fabrics, providing a bridge as stealth aircraft arrive. It also unfolds in parallel with Turkey’s F-16 Block 70 acquisition and upgrade path, sharpening a balance of airpower across the Aegean that NATO must manage carefully. Each completed Viper adds endurance, sensor reach, and credible stand-off options to Athens’s deterrent posture, strengthening allied air policing from the central Mediterranean to the Black Sea.
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Lockheed Martin said the Hellenic Air Force’s 42nd F-16 upgraded to the Viper (Block 70/72) standard entered service on Sept. 23, marking the program’s halfway point. The delivery boosts NATO interoperability and Greece’s air defense in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Lockheed Martin Europe announced on September 23, 2025, that the 42nd Hellenic Air Force F-16 upgraded to the Viper standard has entered service, marking the halfway point of Greece’s fleet modernization. The company framed the milestone as a boost to allied operations and a reaffirmation of its commitment to deliver mission-ready capability. The program converts the HAF’s Block 52+/52M inventory to the Block 70/72 configuration centered on Northrop Grumman’s APG-83 AESA radar, a refreshed mission computer, a high-resolution center pedestal display, Mode 5 IFF, Link-16, and safety enhancements such as Auto-GCAS. The Vipers retain the internal 20 mm M61A1 cannon and integrate a broad NATO weapons set spanning air superiority and precision strike.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
Hellenic Air Force F-16V with APG-83 AESA radar, advanced mission computer, Link-16 data link, Auto-GCAS safety, and full NATO weapons integration for air defense and precision strike (Picture source: Hellenic Air Force).
The Viper kit revolves around the APG-83 SABR, which brings high-resolution synthetic aperture radar mapping, interleaved air-to-air and air-to-surface modes, and improved electronic protection derived from fifth-generation lineages. For pilots operating over the Aegean’s complex littoral terrain, the radar’s faster track updates, longer-range detection, and robust look-down performance over clutter are decisive advantages. Compared to the legacy APG-68, SABR’s simultaneous search and track allows crews to prosecute beyond-visual-range intercepts while maintaining a continuous surface picture and threat awareness.
The 6×8-inch center pedestal display fuses radar returns, targeting-pod video, and digital moving maps into a single high-fidelity view, easing sensor cueing through the JHMCS II helmet. The modular mission computer delivers higher throughput for multi-sensor fusion and advanced weapons employment, while MIDS/Link-16 networking and Mode 5 IFF ensure full NATO interoperability. Greece’s Vipers also operate with an internal self-protection suite commonly referred to as ASPIS II, integrating a digital radar warning receiver, internal jamming, and ALE-47 countermeasures dispensers to automate threat response and reduce pilot workload.
Production cadence indicates the workshare at Hellenic Aerospace Industry’s Tanagra facilities has matured. After initial prototype flights and early deliveries proved the upgrade path, throughput climbed steadily in 2024–2025, pushing the program over the midpoint this month. Public planning figures point to more than eighty Block 52+/52M aircraft slated for conversion, a number that aligns with the HAF’s long-term objective to standardize its legacy F-16 fleet around a common avionics and sensor baseline. At the current pace, completion around the latter half of the decade remains achievable.
On weapons and mission sets, the Viper configuration lifts the HAF’s F-16 into a different tier. Air-to-air, the jets field AIM-120C AMRAAM for BVR combat and IRIS-T for high-off-boresight engagements cued by JHMCS, a pairing that gives Greek pilots a credible first-shot advantage and resilience. In the strike role, SAR mapping from APG-83 combined with GPS/INS-guided JDAM and stand-off JSOW enables day-night, all-weather precision against defended point targets. Suppression of enemy air defenses benefits from improved geolocation and datalink cueing for AGM-88 profiles. For maritime interdiction and island-defense scenarios, the radar’s sea-search modes and Link-16 cooperative targeting compress the find-fix-finish timeline across the archipelago.
The blend of SABR, a modern mission computer, Auto-GCAS, and a fused cockpit enables single-ship crews to manage denser threat environments with lower workload and higher survivability. The radar can search, track, and map concurrently, letting pilots maintain terrain and surface awareness while setting up look-down shots. Helmet-cued sightlines accelerate target sorting and off-boresight missile employment, while Mode 5 and Link-16 reduce fratricide risk and tighten kill chains with ground and maritime sensors. The ASPIS-equipped self-protection architecture improves resilience to contemporary surface-to-air systems, supporting escort SEAD and reactive suppression when the threat picture shifts mid-sortie.
The halfway mark lands as Greece reshapes its combat-air order of battle alongside new-build Rafales and a signed Letter of Offer and Acceptance for F-35A fighters later this decade. The Viper upgrade ensures that fourth-generation mass remains interoperable with fifth-generation tactics and data fabrics, providing a bridge as stealth aircraft arrive. It also unfolds in parallel with Turkey’s F-16 Block 70 acquisition and upgrade path, sharpening a balance of airpower across the Aegean that NATO must manage carefully. Each completed Viper adds endurance, sensor reach, and credible stand-off options to Athens’s deterrent posture, strengthening allied air policing from the central Mediterranean to the Black Sea.
