Israel and Greece signed a €3 billion (US$3.5 billion) military sales agreement on Monday (August 31). According to the agreement, Israel will build a multi-layered air defense system for Greece. This comes as Greece advances a broader military modernization plan.
The Greek Ministry of Defense says that this multibillion-euro procurement is part of “the largest-scale reform in the history of the Greek Armed Forces.”
The Israeli Ministry of Defense stated that the signed agreement aims to build the “Achilles Shield” air defense system for Greece.
“Under the agreement, Israel will construct a comprehensive, multi-layered air defense system for Greece, which will be entirely based on Israeli-manufactured systems and draw from the vast combat experience accumulated by Israeli defense agencies during wartime,” the Israeli Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
“This is the largest defense export agreement in the history of Israeli-Greek relations and one of the largest agreements in the history of the founding of Israel,” the statement added.
Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias stated that recent technological developments have “rendered existing defense theories completely obsolete.” He added that Greece will be the “first EU country to adopt a similar system.”
This agreement marks the rapid deepening of the security partnership between the two countries.
According to information released by the Israeli Ministry of Defense, this export agreement includes the David’s Sling mid-to-long range air defense and anti-missile system, the Barak MX multi-mission advanced air defense and anti-missile system, the SPYDER interception system, airborne surveillance radars, and a new national command and control system.
In January of this year, Greece and Israel agreed to expand cooperation in unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned underwater vehicle clusters, network threats, military exercises, and defense technology. This is in line with Greece’s “2030 Agenda,” which is a comprehensive military reform plan.
In 2023, Germany purchased Israel’s Arrow 3 system, and in 2024, Finland procured the David’s Sling system. Greece stated that it will become the first EU country to integrate multiple Israeli defense platforms into a unified defense system to defend against ballistic missiles, aircraft, and drones.