Greece and Turkey: Offensive and Defensive Balance of Air Power in 2012

Lockheed Martins Falcon Evolves with New F-16V

February 19, 2012

By Ioannis Michaletos
The Greek and Turkish air forces are two of NATO’s strongest and most experienced. The chronic antagonism between the two neighboring states has meant that their pilots have received significant training as they have for decades often engaged in dogfights over the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. Unlike planned exercises by NATO members, however, these dogfights have been deadly in the past and even risked a larger military showdown on several occasions.

The following detailed report will break down the inventory of the rival-but-allied air forces for 2012. This will also reveal that equilibrium of power has been established; the two countries have, both in quantitative and qualitative terms, reached an equal projection of air power, something that partly depends on the threat perceptions military planners have regarding different fronts. This dynamic is expected to remain as it is, at least for the mid-term, though pending acquisitions by Turkey could affect the balance in future. As with the case of India and Pakistan, an unwritten rule of preserving a balance of power has been set out by Western politicians and thus followed by industrial producers in Western countries.
All data presented below derives from official information gathered from the Greek and Turkish air fleet inventories, available in the archives of their respective military staffs and defense ministries.....



The Greek Air Force is oriented almost exclusively towards Turkey. The Turkish Air Force, on the other hand, has active obligations with the Kurdish conflict plus contingency plans for the Greek, Middle Eastern and Eastern Mediterranean fronts. It can be concluded that a balance of power exists in the air, with no side having a definitive advantage for the moment due to strategic geography.

Advanced types
Greece: F-16′s (Block 50 and Block 52+) and Mirage 2000-5 Mk2: 113 jets
Turkey: F-16′s Block 50: 30 jets on order (an estimated 10 have already arrived)
Older modern jets
Greece: F-16′s (Block 30/40/50) and Mirage 2000 EGM/BGM: 92 jets
Turkey: F-16′s (Block 30/40/50): 203 jets
Older types
Greece: F-4 PI2000, F-4E/2020, F-4 RF and A-7E/H: 113 jets
Turkey: F-4 2020, F-4E, RF-4E and F-5: 144 jets
Transport planes
Greece: C-130 and C-27J Spartan: 27 planes
Turkey: C-130 and C-235: 80 planes
Training planes
Greece: T-2E, T-6A, T-41D: 103 planes
Turkey: T-38A/B/C, T-41D, SF.260D: 189 planes
General-purposes planes
Greece: Canadair 215, Gulfstream V, EMB-135, PZL, G-16: 58 planes
Turkey: Gulfstream IV, C650 Citation: 7 planes
Helicopters
Greece: AS332C1 Super Puma, AB 205, AB 212, A-109: 23 helicopters
Turkey: AS532 Cougar, UH-1H: 79 helicopters..................................

 continues ......http://www.balkanalysis.com/greece/2012/02/19/greece-and-turkey-offensive-and-defensive-balance-of-air-power-in-2012/