Greece’s Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defense (KYSEA) has approved a new package of defense procurement contracts as part of the country’s long-term military modernization program, Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said on Thursday.
The approvals cover a broad range of air defense, surveillance, unmanned systems and military mobility programs under the government’s Agenda 2030 defense overhaul.
Among the projects approved is the “Achilles Shield” integrated air defense system, a layered air defense, ballistic missile defense and counter-drone network that Dendias described as a comprehensive command-and-control system. He said the program will include about €700 million in participation by Greece’s domestic defense industry.
Israeli radars and missiles will form the core of the system.
Dendias said the system will integrate data from multiple sensors, including helmet-mounted sights used by army personnel, allowing it to process information, prioritize threats and recommend responses in real time.
The council also approved counter-unmanned surface vessel systems, the acquisition of IAI Heron 1 unmanned aerial systems, small synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites providing sovereign imaging capabilities, and 10 additional Shield AI V-BAT Class II unmanned aerial systems.
Other approved programs include night-vision devices for combat troops, three new Embraer C-390 Millennium military transport aircraft to be acquired under a government-to-government agreement with Portugal, 10 special operations submersible vehicles, upgrades to Greece’s four Hydra-class (MEKO 200HN) frigates with advanced anti-submarine warfare systems, and AGM-114 Hellfire laser-guided missiles for AH-64 Apache attack helicopters.
KYSEA also approved funding for graduate studies in the United States aimed at developing military officers with expertise in autonomous systems and artificial intelligence.
Dendias said Thursday’s decisions covered a substantial part of the government’s Agenda 2030 defense reform but did not complete it. He said a second phase of Greece’s new force structure and its long-term procurement plan for 2027-2037 will be presented in September.
Greece’s overhaul of its armed forces has a budget of €28 billion. It includes buying new F-35 fighter jets from the United States and frigates from France and Italy. [kathimerini]
