Greece asks U.S. to continue sustainment support for its F-16s

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Greece has asked the United States to continue sustainment support through the Foreign Military Sales program for its F-16 fighters.

Notification of the request, together with certification of approval from the State Department, was given to Congress by the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which handles the FMS program.

"The government of Greece needs this aircraft support to ensure its F-16 fleet is properly sustained and modernized to maintain interoperability with the United States and other NATO countries," DSCA said. "The continued support and maintenance of Greece's F-16 fleet will ensure the effectiveness of its capabilities and ability to support future contributions to NATO operations."

The sustainment support includes the Electronic Combat International Security Assistance Program; International Engine Management Program; F-16 Technical Coordination Program; and the Aircraft Structural Integrity Program.

Aircraft hardware and software support; repair and return; spare and repair parts; support equipment and logistics elements are also included in Greece's request.

The potential sale carries a value of $188 million.

Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman would be the principal contractors.