A team consisting of 65-140 military personnel of the Greek Air Force and Land Forces will be deployed together the Patriot PAC-3 long-range anti-aircraft missile array to be dispatched to Saudi Arabia, sources of the Greek Prime Minister’s office told media over the weekend.
The number of personnel will depend on the needs, the sources said.
It is not clear whether the Greek mission will include additional military personnel to guard the facility in addition to the Patriot missile operators.
The request for Greek participation in Saudi Arabia’s air defense has been submitted by the European Union and the government has responded positively.
The sources said that there is no ‘hole’ in Greek air defense because the Patriot battery was was previously “out of operation” even if the reason for this remain a secret.
It should be reminded that the agreement on the transfer of Greek Patriot system to Saudi Arabia was sealed during the meeting between Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and Saudi Arabian counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud in Athens on Saturday.
The dispatch of the Patrios could take place even in mid-February, media report.
According to media, there are 6 Patriot arrays in Greece, each one with six quadruple launchers
The Greek-Saudi Arabia deal reportedly follows the agreement of the foreign ministries of the two countries a few weeks ago after air strikes against the facilities of the state-owned Aramco oil company.
