Greece scraps option to buy additional 10 F-16s

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

ATHENS, Mar 15 (Reuters) Greece today decided to scrap an option to buy an additional 10 F-16 fighter jets from US defence contractor Lockheed Martin, the country's military council said.

Last year, the council (KYSEA) approved the purchase of 30 F-16 warplanes in a deal valued at the time at 1.1 billion euros (1.32 billion dollars), with an option of 10 more from the United States, changing original plans to buy the European-made Eurofighter.

The council said on Wednesday it would not ''exercise the option for the additional purchase of the 10 F-16 jets'' but gave no reason for the decision.

The initial deal for the 30 planes last July had caused considerable controversy as the conservative government cancelled an agreement between Greece and the consortium of the Eurofighter jet, signed by the previous socialist government.

The Greek defence minister at the time of the purchase, Spilios Spiliotopoulos, had come under fire for what critics said was a vague deal which did not make clear what weapons, worth millions of euros, the planes would carry.

In October, the US Defense Department approved the sale to Greece of 40 F-16C/D fighter jets and associated equipment, in a deal it valued at up to 3.1 billion dollars, almost three times as much as Greece had announced.

REUTERS HS PM1816

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