Cyprus: “We are ready to acquire our own fighter aircraft,” says National Guard Air Command chief

Cyprus can take the next step and build its own fighter aircraft force. That was the message sent on Sunday, November 8, by the commander of the National Guard Air Command, Brigadier General (Air) Georgios Alexandrou, speaking at the “Andreas Papandreou” Air Base in Paphos, where the Air Force honoured its patron saint, Archangel Michael.

“We are ready to take even bigger steps, to acquire our own fighter aircraft,” General Alexandrou said in his address. He tied the aim to the need for the Air Force to react quickly and effectively anywhere within the Nicosia FIR. The National Guard Air Command has no fighters at present; its strength rests on helicopters, unmanned aircraft and air-defence systems.

The commander listed the assets that, in his assessment, have already raised the island’s deterrent capability: modern air-defence systems, attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles and new surveillance radars. These programmes, he said, are moving ahead with state backing and under the direction of the Ministry of Defence and the National Guard General Staff, alongside the upgrading of existing equipment. Among the most recent acquisitions are the Airbus H145M helicopters able to carry SPIKE ER2 missiles.

On Cyprus’s geographic position, he noted that it gives the island particular strategic weight but also more responsibility. The threat is close and the challenges across the wider region do not stop, so the Air Force must stay vigilant and keep modernising, he stressed. He also honoured the airmen who lost their lives: “It is our responsibility and duty to continue their work.”

Palmas: SAFE and upgrades for the Paphos and Mari bases

The event included a static display of air and anti-aircraft assets, as well as flypasts by aircraft and helicopters. Attending were the Chief of the National Guard, Lieutenant General Emmanouil Theodorou, ambassadors, members of parliament, defence attachés and military delegations of countries hosted at National Guard facilities, according to the announcement of the National Guard General Staff.

Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas, who represented the President of the Republic, did not mention fighters, but in his speech he stressed that every state’s defence presupposes a high level of air and anti-aircraft capability, something that becomes more pressing for Cyprus, which has lived for 52 years with the Turkish occupation of a large part of its territory. The ministry, he said, is emphasising modern systems, drawing on the lessons of recent wars, both through the national armament programme and through the European SAFE mechanism. SAFE also covers the joint purchase of Akeron MP anti-tank missiles with France and Sweden.

Mr Palmas announced that the upgrade of the “Andreas Papandreou” Air Base and of the Navy base at Mari is moving ahead, so that they can better serve air and naval missions, both national and in cooperation with friendly countries. He added that Cyprus’s partnerships also have a humanitarian side, with search and rescue and operations to evacuate civilians from war zones. He closed with a reference to personnel, saying no system performs without well-trained people.