This purchase is part of a 4.2 billion euro defense spending package.
According to a ministry document seen by AFP news agency, the package also includes C-390 Millennium transport aircraft, Heron drones, Apache helicopter missiles, Victa watercraft, and frigate sonar systems.
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Greece’s Council for Foreign Affairs and Defense (KYSEA), led by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, approved the acquisition of the ‘Achilles Shield’, a ministry source said, wishing to remain anonymous until an official ministry announcement.
Greece traditionally allocates at least two percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) to its defense due to decades of tension with regional rival Turkey.
Currently, the country allocates more than three percent of its GDP to defense.
Under K. Mitsotakis, Greece has heavily invested in modernizing its armed forces, primarily in French ‘Belharra’ class ships and ‘Rafale’ fighter jets.
Athens agreed to acquire four ‘Belharra’ defense and intervention frigates, having previously ordered 24 ‘Rafale’ fighter jets.
During French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit in April, Greece and France renewed a defense cooperation agreement signed in 2021, which allowed for these arms purchases.
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“If your sovereignty is threatened, we will stand by your side,” E. Macron said then, before visiting the “Kimon” – the first “Belharra” frigate delivered to Greece.
Athens also signed an agreement for the acquisition of 20 American-made F-35 fighter jets.
In 2025, K. Mitsotakis announced that 25 billion euros would be allocated for defense over the next 12 years.
The conservative leader, who faces elections by next spring, called this project the most drastic overhaul of the defense system in modern Greek history.
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