[3][4] Under the Kingdom of Greece from 1935 to 1973, it was previously known as the Royal Hellenic Air Force (RHAF) (Ἑλληνικὴ Βασιλικὴ Ἀεροπορία, Ellinikí Vasilikí Aeroporía).

Aided by the Royal Hellenic Navy, destroyer RHNS Velos, 1st Lieutenant Michael Moutoussis and Ensign Aristeidis Moraitinis flew the Farman hydroplane and drew up a diagram of the positions of the Turkish fleet, against which they dropped four bombs.

Greek aviation units participated in World War I and the Asia Minor Campaign, equipped by the Allies with a variety of French and British designs.

A first Henschel was hit and crashed, killing its observer, Pilot Officer Evanghelos Giannaris, the first Greek aviator to die in the war.

[6] On 2 November 1940, a Breguet 19 intercepted the 3 Alpine Division Julia while it was penetrating the Pindos mountain range in an attempt to occupy Metsovo.

On the same day, 2nd Lieutenant Marinos Mitralexis having run out of ammunition, aimed the nose of his PZL P.24 right into the tail of an enemy CANT Z.1007bis bomber, smashing the rudder and sending the aircraft out of control.

[8] By March 1941, the Italian invasion on air and ground had been successfully pushed back, aided by the vital contribution of the RHAF to the Greek victory.

Lieutenant Vasilios Michael Vassiliadis was credited with 11.5 enemy aircraft over Western Europe before he was killed in action on 15 March 1945, over Germany.

Greek pilots flew thousands of missions including air evacuations, personnel transport, intelligence gathering, and supply flights.

These aircraft, equipped with the LANTIRN navigation and targeting pod, along with AIM-120 AMRAAM and AGM-88 HARM missiles, were allocated to the 341 'Arrow' and 347 'Perseus' squadrons in Nea Anchialos air force base.

These included the AIM-120 AMRAAM (although only the -B edition), the AIM-9M missile, the automated flight-director system (AFDS), and the entire family of the Paveway (I, II and III) laser-guided bombs.

[14] The F-4E Phantom II PI2000 (AUP) has been certified for use of GBU-27 Paveway III laser-guided bombs, making the aircraft an excellent and modern platform for precision strikes.

The HAF modernisation programme estimated in 2007 that a purchase of forty-five advance training aircraft, fifteen search and rescue (SAR) helicopters, and forty-to-sixty new fighters was necessary.

The timeline for acquisition of the new aircraft, depended mainly on the country's fiscal plans and Washington's ability to offer a long-term payment framework.

[45][46] However, reports in September and October 2020, claimed that Greece could receive at least six F-35 jets much earlier, originally built for Turkey before its ouster from the programme, after the latter conducted tests of the S-400 missile systems purchased from Russia.

[49] According to earlier reports from Greek national daily Estia on 19 October however, an optimistic scenario would mean that the first six aircraft could only arrive in Greece by 2022, at the earliest.

On 30 June 2022, Greece's prime minister confirmed that the country has sent a request to the United States for the purchase of twenty F-35s, with the option of buying a second group of jets also being examined.

[63][64][65] Theodoros Lagios, Director General of Armament and Investments of the Greek Ministry of Defence (MoD), and Éric Trappier, chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, signed the contracts in Athens on 25 January.

On 11 September 2021, Greek Prime Minister at the 2021 Thessaloniki International Fair announced the purchase of six additional Rafale, bringing the total order number to twenty-four.

[69][70] In 2019, Greece reached an agreement with Israel for the lease, with an option to purchase, of two-plus-one IAI Heron unmanned aerial vehicles.

Greek Herons include a unique maritime configuration with sensors and communications designed to monitor the extensive water borders of Greece.

In addition, in November 2020, the Greek multinational company Intracom Defense Electronics (IDE) was placed head of a consortium that included the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUT), the University of Patras, as well as many other Greek and European companies from Cyprus, Spain, and the Netherlands, for the design and construction of stealth swarm drones, codenamed Project LOTUS (Low Observable Tactical Unmanned System).

[76] These endogenous aircraft will be primarily used in border and maritime patrol missions, high value target reconnaissance and surveillance, while utilising data-fusion technologies to cooperate with HAF's future 4.5 and 5th generation fighters.

[82] In international politics, the antagonism between Greece and Turkey has made it imperative for HAF to maintain parity with Turkish Air Force (TAF).

[92] As part of multilateral arrangements, Greece remains in close military cooperation with countries of the Eastern Mediterranean region and the Persian Gulf, including Israel, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Saudi Arabia.

[97] As the two air forces share very similar types of fleets, and following these common exercises, the two countries signed a mutual defence agreement[98] further reinforcing bilateral military and political ties.

[100][101] The IAFTC will provide advanced training to new Greek and Israeli military pilots, as well as lease services to international air force customers, utilising the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master jet trainer[102] that will replace the North American T-2 Buckeye.

[104][105][106] Previous notable aircraft operated were the Supermarine Spitfire, F-86 Sabres, Douglas C-47 Skytrain, Grumman HU-16 Albatross, Sikorsky H-19, Bell 47, Dassault Mirage F1, Lockheed T-33, Republic F-84F, Convair F-102 Delta Dagger, Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, Northrop F-5, A-7 Corsair II, and the RF-4E[139][140][141] The primary camouflage scheme utilised by the Hellenic Air Force is the Aegean Ghost (Greek: Φάντασμα του Αιγαίου) scheme.

Prior to World War II, combat aircraft were given a green and brown top scheme with white or sky blue underside, similar to the Royal Air Force.

The worst accident in the history of the Hellenic Air Force occurred on 5 February 1991, when Lockheed C-130H Hercules s/n: 748 crashed into Mount Othrys during the landing approach to Nea Anchialos.