Greek tanks to embark on unprecedented journey to solidify Athens' NATO loyalty

Despite fielding one of NATO’s largest tank fleets, Greece has deployed ground troops abroad only once in the modern era, when it contributed forces to the UN coalition during the Korean War. This history makes the Greek Armed Forces’ decision to send its 25th Armoured Brigade more than 2,000 kilometers to northern France for next month’s Orion 2026 military exercise particularly notable.

Athens is keen to underscore its commitment to NATO by dispatching the brigade, which operates German-made Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks (MBTs) and Marder infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), the Greek City Times publication highlights.

The exercise is billed as one of the most extensive land-force training operations planned for 2026 and is intended to test NATO’s ability to operate in a high-intensity conflict environment. Numerous alliance members are expected to participate.

Greece has also been working to deepen its strategic relationship with France, highlighted by a bilateral defence agreement signed in 2021. Alongside this, the Hellenic Armed Forces are in the process of acquiring French-made FDI frigates and Dassault Rafale omnirole fighter jets.

An undisclosed number of MBTs and IFVs will be transported aboard landing ships to a French port, most likely Le Havre in Normandy. From there, the vehicles will move overland to the Orion 2026 exercise area near the Mailly-Champagne training grounds, where drills are scheduled to take place between February and April 2026, as noted in a document published by the French National Assembly. 

Around 300 Greek military personnel will also travel to France by air. The deployment mirrors a similar move by French forces in November 2023, when 280 soldiers and Leclerc tanks were sent to Xanthi in northern Greece for joint exercises with Greek units.

Athens’ unusually large tank fleet

Greece is among NATO’s largest tank operators, with more than 1,300 tanks believed to be in service. This inventory includes roughly 170 modern Leopard 2A6 HEL tanks, a variant produced domestically by the Hellenic Vehicle Industry (ELBO), as well as 183 Leopard 2A4 models that could be upgraded to the HEL standard. Athens also fields around 500 Leopard 1A5/GR MBTs dating back to the 1970s, in addition to hundreds of US-made M60 tanks, including approximately 100 M60A3 TTS variants.

Many of NATO’s surplus M60 tanks were transferred to Greece in the early 1990s and are currently held in reserve.

Tensions dating back to historic clashes with neighbouring Türkiye are a key factor behind Greece’s sizable armoured force, the article notes. The fellow NATO member across the Aegean Sea also maintains a large tank fleet and boasts a highly advanced domestic defence industry.

By Nazrin Sadigova