Greece’s airspace was violated by a group of armed Turkish warplanes on Monday and triggered the second simulated dogfight of the year between Greek and Turkish military aircraft, Greek defense officials reported.
According to Greece’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the encounter involved two Turkish F-16 fighter jets and two CN-235 maritime surveillance aircraft. Greek authorities stated that their national airspace was breached 10 times during the incident.
The confrontation marks a gradual uptick in aerial friction between the two NATO allies, following the year’s first mock dogfight in March. Military data shows that 159 airspace violations have been documented since January 1. While this indicates rising activity, it remains below the 225 total violations recorded throughout all of 2025, a year that saw just one simulated dogfight in December.
The recent figures contrast sharply with 2024 where zero airspace violations or aerial standoffs were reported. However, 2023 saw the Greek military logs record 1,172 violations and 87 simulated dogfights.
Geopolitical tension between Greece and Turkey was high in 2020, when Turkey encouraged thousands of migrants to cross the Evros land border into Greece. Months later, maritime disputes over offshore gas exploration rights culminated in a minor collision between Greek and Turkish naval frigates, though there was no further escalation at the time.
Source: Kathimerini
