Greece's Best Kept Secret: Stefanovikio is no more

A recent log on the Scramble Magazine forum confirmed that the 1st and 2nd TEEP (Tagma Epithetikon Elikopteron or Attack Helicopter Battalion) of the Elliniki Aeroporia Stratou (EAS – Hellenic Army Aviation) and all other units that were stationed at Stefanovikio air base have moved out.

Although the Greek press has been quite vocal about the event that led to the evacuation, the story has not gained the traction it deserves outside of Greece and the consequences of the floods in September 2023 were certainly not appreciated enough by Scramble Magazine; we did not expect that floods would mean the end of one of Greece’s Super Bases!

The Thessaly region in which the base resides was hit by Storm Daniel-induced flooding which led to the destruction of the base on 8 and 9 September. Pictures of partly submerged AB205/UH-1H and Apache helicopters started circulating the internet.

Stefanovikio was the home of the nineteen remaining AH-64A+ Apache of 1st TEEP and nine remaining AH-64DHA Apache of 2nd TEEP, both forming the core of the air power of the Hellenic Army Aviation. Maintenance hangars of the 307th PEV (Prokehorimeno Ergostasiop Vasis or Advanced Base Factory) were not evacuated before the floods and aircraft were trapped there when the water hit the base. Although no pictures of the OH-58D Kiowa helicopters have surfaced so far, it is to be expected that many of them were undergoing maintenance at the facilities.

The rescued helicopters of the Battalions have since been relocated to Alexandria and Larissa. It has been reported that at least seven helicopters were lost during the flood, but Scramble Magazine assesses that the number of severely damaged or written off helicopters must be much higher. The Hellenic National Defence General Staff is keeping the true numbers under wraps, however. Storm Daniel was the most devastating Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone in recorded history outside of the north Atlantic Ocean and as a result, Stefanovikio has lost its air base status permanently. It is unclear what will happen with the relocated Battalions, but for the foreseeable future they will remain operating out of the Hellenic Air Force facilities at Larissa and the Hellenic Army facilities at Alexandria.

We are looking for confirmation of the exact relocation. It remains ambiguous which unit moved where, for example: some OH-58s seem to have relocated to Alexandria and Larissa whilst the Apache helicopters all seem to be operating out of Larissa. The Hellenic Army Aviation Order of Battle is now updated and online. Confirmation of the exact location of the EAS units would be welcome at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Source: https://www.datajournalists.co.uk/2023/10/17/stefanovikio-unraveling-the-epic-tale-of-the-armed-forces-titanic-tragedy
Stefanovikio overview: Pool/Orestis Panagiotou/Eurokinissi via https://ilarissa.gr/