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Greece and Israel signed a defence agreement worth about €3 billion on Monday, the largest ever between the two countries and one of the biggest military deals in Greek and Israeli history.
Under the agreement, Israel will build Greece a nationwide, multi-layered air defence network capable of detecting and intercepting threats ranging from drones and aircraft to long-range and ballistic missiles.
The programme is known as “Achilles Shield.” In simple terms, it will give Greece several different layers of protection rather than relying on a single missile system to deal with every type of attack.
The agreement was signed at Israel’s Defence Ministry headquarters by ministry Director General Amir Baram and his Greek counterpart, Ioannis Bouras.
For Greece, it marks a major step in a wider €28 billion overhaul of its armed forces through 2036, which also includes new fighter jets, frigates, submarines and unmanned systems.
How the shield will work
Achilles Shield will bring several Israeli-built systems together under one national network.
David’s Sling, made by Rafael, is designed to intercept longer-range rockets and missiles, including ballistic threats. Greece will become only the second foreign country to acquire it after Finland.
The SPYDER system, also made by Rafael, will provide another defensive layer against aircraft, drones and other airborne threats.
The BARAK MX, built by Israel Aerospace Industries, can respond to several types of threats at different ranges, while ELTA’s multi-mission radars will monitor Greek airspace and provide early warning.
A new national command-and-control system will connect all these parts. If the radars are the eyes of Achilles Shield, this system will be its brain, collecting information, identifying an incoming threat and deciding which weapon is best placed to stop it.
That matters because using an expensive interceptor against every small drone would quickly become unaffordable. An integrated system can match the response to the threat.
The agreement also includes a separate €26 million purchase of Rafael’s Drone Dome systems, which will protect strategic sites against hostile drones and reinforce Greece’s existing defences.
More than simply buying missiles
The deal will also expand cooperation between Israeli and Greek defence companies, including the transfer of technical knowledge and technology to Greek industry.
Athens wants part of its multibillion-euro investment to remain inside the country, creating expertise and allowing Greek companies to participate in the construction, maintenance and future upgrading of the system.
Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias previously said the shield would be delivered in stages and was expected to become fully operational within 35 months.
Israel says the systems being supplied have been tested under real combat conditions. David’s Sling was used to intercept Iranian missiles during the war earlier this year, while other parts of the network have been deployed against drones and aerial attacks.
That battlefield experience has increased international demand for Israeli defence technology, even as Israel continues to face widespread criticism over its military operations in Gaza and elsewhere in the region.
The Cyprus and regional angle
The agreement further deepens the strategic partnership between Greece and Israel in the eastern Mediterranean, where defence and energy cooperation have grown steadily in recent years.
It also carries significance for Cyprus, which already operates the Israeli-made BARAK MX and is strengthening its own protection against drones. Greater compatibility between the Greek and Cypriot systems could make joint training, technical support and the sharing of information easier.
Although the agreement was not officially presented as being directed against any particular country, it comes against the background of Greece’s long-running tensions with Turkey over airspace, maritime boundaries and energy rights in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean.
Greece spends close to 3.5% of its economy on defence, placing it among NATO’s highest military spenders.
