Israel, Greece sign €3 billion "Achilles Shield" air defence deal

Israel and Greece have signed a defence agreement worth about €3 billion under which Israel will build Greece a multi-layered air defence system based on Israeli technology.

The deal, described by Israel’s Ministry of Defence as the largest defence export agreement in the history of Israel-Greece relations, was signed on August 31 by Israeli Defence Ministry Director General Maj Gen (Res) Amir Baram and his Greek counterpart, Ioannis Bouras.

The system, known in Greece as “Achilles Shield”, will provide protection against a range of threats, including ballistic missiles, aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles.

It will include Israel’s David’s Sling, the BARAK MX and SPYDER air defence systems, as well as MMR multi-mission radars manufactured by ELTA Systems, an Israel Aerospace Industries subsidiary.

A new national command-and-control system developed by Rafael will integrate the various air defence capabilities.

The two sides also signed a separate €26 million agreement for Rafael’s Drone Dome systems, intended to protect strategic sites against drones.

Israel said the project would also expand industrial defence cooperation with Greece, including the transfer of knowledge and technology to Greek industry.

The agreement comes as Israel seeks to expand defence exports, while demand for its military technology has increased during the war. The Israeli ministry said the deal marked another milestone in defence cooperation with Greece, which it described as a key strategic partner in the eastern Mediterranean.

By Aghakazim Guliyev