Timeline of the Hellenic Air Force 1911 - 1912 . In 1911 the Greek Government appointed French specialists to form the Hellenic Aviation Service . Six Greek officers were sent to France for training , while the first four " Farman " type aircraft were ordered . The first Greek aviator was Emmanuel Argyropoulos , who flew in a Nieuport IV . G . " Alcuin " aircraft , on February 8 , 1912 . The first military flight was made on 13 May of that year by Lieutenant Dimitrios Kamberos . In June , Kamberos , flew with the " Daedalus " , a Farman Aviation Works aircraft that had been converted into a seaplane , setting the foundations of the Naval Aviation . That September , the Greek Army fielded its first squadron , the Aviators Company " ( Λόχος Αεροπόρων ) " . 1919 - 1944 . The Hellenic Air Force participated in the Balkan Wars , World War I , the Asia Minor Campaign and World War II . Initially it consisted of the separate Army Aviation and Naval Aviation , but in 1930 the Aviation Ministry was founded , establishing the Air Force as the third branch of the Hellenic Armed Forces . In 1931 the Air Force Academy , the " Icarus School of Basic and Advanced Fighter Training " ( " Sholi Icaron " ) , was founded . During the Second World War , it successfully resisted the Italian invasion in 1940 , but practically the entire force was destroyed by the Germans in April 1941 . The Air Force was rebuilt in the Middle East as part of the Royal Air Force , flying Spitfires , Hurricanes and Martin Baltimore s . After Greece ' s liberation in 1944 , it returned home and subsequently participated in the Greek Civil War . 1950s . In the 1950s , the force was rebuilt and organized according to NATO standards . The Greek Air Force participated in the Korean War with a transport flight unit . 1980s . Until the late 1980s the Air Force deployed Nike - Hercules Missiles armed with U . S . nuclear warheads . As a result of Greco - Turkish tensions around the 1974 Turkish invasion in Cyprus , the U . S . removed its nuclear weapons from Greek and Turkish alert units to storage . Greece saw this as another pro - Turkish move by NATO and withdrew its forces from NATO ’ s military command structure from 1974 to 1980 . In 1988 the first 3rd generation fighters were introduced , marking the beginning of a new era : The first Mirage 2000 EG / BG aircraft were delivered to the 114th Combat Wing and equipped the 331 and 332 squadrons . In January 1989 , the first F - 16C / D Block 30 arrived in Nea Anchialos ( 111th Combat Wing ) and were allocated between the 330 and 346 squadrons . 1990s . On March 29 , 1991 the RF - 84F were retired from service after 34 years and 7 months of operational life . In November 1992 more RF - 4E were delivered to the 348 Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron . In 1997 the reception of third generation aircraft continued . In July , delivery of forty F - 16 Block 50 begun . The new aircraft , equipped with the LANTIRN navigation and targeting pod as well as AMRAAM and HARM missiles , were allocated to the 341 and 347 squadrons . 2000 - 2007 . Greece participated in NATO " nuclear weapons sharing " until 2001 , using A - 7 Corsair II s to deploy tactical B61 nuclear warheads from Araxos Air Base . Greece then strategically decided to remove all nuclear weapons under storage in Greece and did not purchase any more aircraft with nuclear capabilities . In 2005 , Greece was among the first countries to add the F - 16 Block 52 + to its inventory . Ninety of these aircraft were ordered and delivery began the same year . This advanced F - 16 type is an improved version of the Block 50 featuring a more powerful radar , better communications systems and an upgraded engine . The Hellenic Air Force ' s Block 52 + belong to the 337 , 340 and 343 Squadrons with call signs " Ghost " , " Fox " and " Star " respectively . 337 SQ is based at Larissa Air Force Base ( 110 Combat Wing ) and the other two in Souda AB ( 115 CW ) . In 2007 , the Hellenic Air Force has a total fighter fleet of 275 modern , upgraded or under upgrade aircraft and due to the retirement of some fighter planes that have ended their life - cycle , HAF is looking forward to acquiring new 3rd and 4th generation fighters in order to reach a total number of 300 modern fighters , according to the " 2007 Supreme Air Force Council Memorandum " published in 2007 . This goal is to be gradually reached by 2015 . Prime candidates for a 4th generation aircraft , of which acquisition is considered certain , are the Eurofighter Typhoon , F - 35 Lightning II ( JSF ) and Dassault Rafale .