Greece formally approved an offer to buy 20 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters from the United States as part of a major defense overhaul, government officials said Thursday.

�The letter of acceptance for the F-35s has been signed and sent to the United States,� Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said while visiting a military air base near Athens.

The purchase, he said, would create �a powerful deterrent presence in our region.�

Delivery of the fifth-generation jet made by Lockheed Martin is expected to start in 2028, while Greece maintains the option to purchase 20 additional F-35 jets as part of an $8.6 billion deal.

The purchase of the first 20 jets along with additional support will cost some $3.5 billion, Greek officials said.

Greece is overhauling its military in a decade-long program following a protracted financial crisis and continued tension with neighbor and NATO ally Turkey, mostly over a volatile sea boundary dispute.

Turkey was dropped from the F-35 program five years ago over its decision to buy Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missile system, a move seen in the United States as a compromise to NATO security.

In Athens, government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis described the current military modernization campaign as the most significant in �many decades.�

�We will continue to implement this major program, equipping our country and armoring its defenses,� Marinakis said.

Athens has been seeking an advantage in the air since Turkey�s exclusion from F-35 purchases and has also acquired advanced French-made Rafale fighter jets. Deliveries to the Greek air force began in 2021, starting with jets previously used by France�s military that will be supplemented by new aircraft built by French defense contractor Dassault Aviation. Bridget Lauderdale, Lockheed Martin�s vice president and general manager of the F-35 program, described the aircraft as being ideal to �strengthen Greece�s sovereignty and operational capability with allies.� “It is our honor to continue (our) relationship as Greece becomes the 19th nation to join the F-35 program,� she said,

The U.S. State Department in January approved the sale that could eventually total 40 F-35 aircraft, along with 42 engines as well as services and equipment including secure communications devices, electronic warfare systems, training, logistics, and maintenance support. Current members of the F-35 program, either as participants or through military sales, are: the United States, Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Norway, Israel, Japan, Korea, Belgium, Poland, Singapore, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, and the Czech Republic.

(AP)