ODA: At € 840 million the outstanding with excellent prospects to exceed € 1 billion.

The Hellenic Aviation Industry (EAV) clearly, and through its results, is not “under scrutiny” but is on an upward trend, the company underlines in a statement issued after “inaccurate reports, which, obviously intentionally, “they are trying to devalue ODA altogether,” he said.

In particular, the company regarding its work notes that:

• Upgrades, strictly adhering to the program schedule, eighty three (83) F-16s at Viper level and in 2022 will deliver eight (8) aircraft compared to the conventional six (6).

• Continuously delivers difficult-to-maintain firefighting aircraft to the Air Force, so that there is full coverage of the firefighting season. This year, no, more aircraft will be delivered than in the past.

• Carries out the very difficult program of upgrading P-3 Orion aeronautical surveillance aircraft.

• As a subcontractor of Lockheed Martin, it exports 30% of the F-16s and C-130s to the world market and thus, as an export industry, contributes to the country’s foreign exchange inflow. Recently, he signed an extension of these contracts by 190 million euros.

• Increases the pace of its educational activity, implementing multimillion-euro education programs for students from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. It invests 15 million euros in new facilities and launches the academic and geographical expansion of its educational programs.

• Collaborates with Universities and Research Centers of the country for the research and development of national products, as well as for the promotion of technology in Greece.

• Develops Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), which will then be manufactured and sold on the international market.

• Enters the space of Space starting with the assembly and then with the construction of microsatellites.

As a result, ODA has started recruitment procedures in order to bridge the large gap created in the decade of 2010, when the number of employees reached a low of 1,300. Today, with recruitments carried out in 2021, the number of employees amounts to 1,700 people, while with the latest current announcement it will exceed 2,000 people in 2022.

ADA, therefore, with its total backlog reaching 840 million euros and with excellent prospects to exceed 1 billion euros, with its programs and its huge potentials and prospects, creates and offers new highly specialized jobs, in order to give opportunities to the young people of Greece. The Company has already reversed its loss-making results and is offering, at a profit, to the National Economy.

Regarding the recent catastrophic reports in some media, concerning the program of delivery of a sufficient number of C-130 aircraft to the Air Force, we point out the following:

Aircraft are essential for the country’s National Security and Defense. Especially, after the tension in the Greek-Turkish relations and the war in Ukraine, it is a national need to restore the navigability of these aircraft.

The aircraft from 2015 onwards remained pending maintenance at Tanagra Airport and the ADA, apparently by decision and responsibility of the then holders, although the needs of our Air Force were imperative.

ODA and its current management, with a sense of responsibility, advocated a self-evident solution, as applied worldwide and to other companies, of seasonal contract staff, to quickly restore the national need for the availability of C-130s. After successive meetings with the leadership of the Ministry of Defense, the Board of Directors of ODA was authorized to seek the best solution.

Thus, according to Law 4412/2016, which enables the acceleration of procedures in cases of immediate need, such as this one, ODA, after a detailed investigation of the Greek and international market, ended up in a Greek company, giving domestic added value to the program. The company has experience in large aircraft as well as in the C-130s of Saudi Arabia and will use privately certified engineers, former executives of the ODA and the Air Force.

With the completion of the recruitment program in the Company, it will be possible to use exclusively ODA personnel for the maintenance of the aircraft. It should be noted, of course, that ODA announced in 2021 seventy (70) technician positions for the maintenance of the C-130, however only ten (10) vacancies were filled, due to lack of critical specializations for this program.

It is worth noting that ADA, after many years, procured for the Air Force aircraft spare parts worth 17 million euros in 2021 and 8 million euros in 2022 to date, ie a total of 25 million euros, which it has in now improved Air Force programs.

ODA aims to restore and develop its previous capability to cover all C-130s of the Air Force, as well as other countries. With the establishment of the C-130 International Maintenance Center, ODA will make the best use of its Factory Maintenance Certificate from Lockheed Martin, as the only company in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East region.

In conclusion: ODA, employees and management operate solely on the basis of the national interest and the promotion of the enormous potential of a Greek pioneer and innovative aviation industry with an international scope. Those who try to tarnish and devalue its course will be tragically alone. “ODA, whether they like it or not, will proceed with all its forces in the service of the warrior of the Armed Forces of the country.”