Greece, which started a major armament breakthrough after the Oruç Reis crisis in 2020, is now preparing to purchase anti-tank missile systems from Israel.
It has been reported that Greece, which started an armament program of approximately 14 billion Euros after the Oruç Reis crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean in 2020, will receive between 17 and 27 Spike NLOS type anti- Tank missile systems from Israel within this framework. In the news in Athens, it was stated that the “bureaucratic obstacles” were overcome during the meeting of Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panayiotopulos with the Director-General of the Israeli Ministry of Defense Amir Eshel, and that the agreement, which has been suspended for nearly a year, will be signed in the coming days.
MERIC AND ISLANDS
There were different figures in the Greek media about the number of missile systems to be purchased from Israel. According to some reports, 17 missile systems will be purchased, according to others, 27 missile systems. If 27 missile systems are purchased from Israel, it will cost Greece 330 million Euros. It was also reported in the news that missile systems with a range of 32 kilometers can be mounted on Apache type helicopters and gunboats.
Ta Nea newspaper stated that missile systems produced by the Israeli company Rafael are planned to be deployed to the Evros region and the islands, and wrote that the said weapon “constitutes a new step for turning the game in favor of Greece” in the balance of military power with Turkey.
ANTI-DRONE CLAIM
In the Greek media, it was claimed that “Drone Dome” devices, which are produced by Israel Rafael company and have features that can blind UAVs, were purchased. It was claimed that these devices, which were stated to be able to detect the presence of drones early and to cut off the communication of UAVs with the central stations thanks to the interference they created, were
secretly deployed to the Aegean islands.
There was no explanation from the Greek authorities regarding the allegations in question .
INCREASING COOPERATION
Greece has entered into close defense cooperation with Israel, especially in the last 3 years:
Previously, two Heron type Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) were leased for 3 years for 40 million Euros from Israel.
The operation of the flight training center in the city of Kalamata in the Peloponnese, where Greek Air Force pilot candidates are trained, was also given to the Israeli ELBIT company for 25 years (1.3 billion Euros in total) for 62 million Euros per year.
The Greek Vehicle Industry (ELVO), which produces various types of military vehicles for the Greek army but was bankrupt and nationalized in 2014, was sold to an Israeli consortium for 3 million Euros, on the condition of investing 90 million Euros.
