Araxos in Greece is the last place on the planet where you can still see venerable A-7 Corsair IIs in action. The Hellenic AF is the last operator of the charismatic ‘SLUF’, and they are still providing a key capability.

report and photos: Jamie Hunter/Aviacom

Driving past the Greek port town of Patra, the cellphone rings - ‘are you close’? ‘Yes, I will be there in 25 minutes’. ‘Good, because the squadron commander wants to see you’. The heat is on, quite literally. It’s nudging 30 degrees and I am on my way to a Hellenic AF base that I have long hoped to visit – Araxos, the last place in the world where one can see operational Ling Temco Vought (LTV) A-7 Corsair IIs, or SLUFs (Short Little Ugly Fella – the polite version), and home of 116 Pterix Mahis (Combat Wing).
My friends that have helped arrange the visit greet me and my long-time friend and colleague Richard Cooper, my predecessor at the helm of Combat Aircraft. We are informed that the squadron commander of 336 Mira has just landed. The sanctuary of the air-conditioned Fiat is traded for the sultry heat of late afternoon, the parched ground and the shady trees. An army of local, angry-looking, ants is doing its best to re-arrange the dusty soil around the preserved F-104G outside the squadron building. Walking in to the squadron headquarters of 336 Mira ‘Olympos’, the heritage, the history and the charisma of the place are palpable. Pirate busts, cutlasses, models of Corsairs, faded paintings, photographs of visiting squadrons and bits of aircraft line the walls – as does the biggest-ever board of mugshots of current serving personnel at the squadron. Four pilots say hello as they hurry past to board a waiting minibus. They are decked out with an array of bespoke squadron and Corsair patches on their arms, and are heading off on the last missions of the day.

Combat Aircraft editor Jamie Hunter talks to Lt Col Malakakis.

Lt Col Spyros Malakakis is the commander of the world’s last remaining A-7 Corsair II squadron. He is an experienced Corsair pilot and is immensely proud of his role and standing at this amazing base. ‘We have two squadrons here at Araxos – this is 336 Mira ‘Olympos’ and we also have 335 Mira ‘Tigris’ (Tigers). The A-7 is a very reliable aircraft and we live by our motto, ‘fly low and hit hard’.’

The full version of this feature appears in Combat Aircraft issue 10.4.