A Greek fighter jet has crashed into the sea after claims of a dog fight with Turkish planes in disputed airspace just days after Greek soldiers opened fire on a helicopter.
The Mirage 2000-5 plunged into the eastern Aegean Sea today near the island of Skyros.
It was thought to have been returning to base after intercepting Turkish fighter jets.
Minister of National Defence Panos Kammenos later announced the pilot was dead.
He said: “A Greek pilot is in the pantheon of heroes. He fell for faith and homeland fighting to defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity. Sincere condolences to his family.”
According to local media, the jet had been involved in a dog fight with the Turkish planes.
However, Turkey has denied having any planes in the region.
The crash follows a spike in tensions between Greece and Turkey over the disputed airspace.
On Monday, Greek soldiers fired on a Turkish helicopter in the Aegean.
Soldiers fired tracer rounds towards the helicopter as it approached the island of Ro late on Monday night.
After the shots – described as warning shots – had been fired, the chopper left the area.
The Greek government accused Turkey of a provocative act after the aircraft approached with its navigation lights switched off.
Both countries are at odds over the sovereignty of the Aegean islands, the waters around them and the airspace above.
