Israel and Greece sign €3 billion Achilles Shield air-defense deal

Greece spends nearly 3.5% of GDP on defense, more than many NATO allies.

Official data put Israeli weapons exports at more than $19 billion last year, up 30% from 2024.

SIPRI said Israel has surpassed the United Kingdom and is the world’s seventh-biggest arms exporter.

More than half of Israeli arms-industry sales are missiles, rockets and air-defense systems.

Greece currently uses U.S. Patriots, Russian S-300s and other short-range air defenses.

Greece recently relocated a Patriot system to Crete, which hosts a large U.S. base at Souda, amid threats from Iran.

Greek companies are to participate in 25% of the work.

The contract makes Israel Greece’s third major high-tech defense supplier, alongside France and the United States.

Achilles’ Shield is intended to operate under Greek national control against missile, ballistic and airborne threats.

SIBAT, MAFAT, the Israeli Missile Defense Organization, and the CEOs of Rafael and IAI attended the signing.

Europe has increasingly turned to Israeli air defense after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the paper said.

Since the war began, Israel’s defense industries have been on an emergency production framework for the IDF and partners.

European governments have selected Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Spyder.

Turkey has launched a $6.5 billion Steel Dome multi-layered air defense program.

Turkey aims to meet nearly all of its military needs domestically by 2030.

Romania acquired Spyder in a multi-billion-dollar deal in June.

The Czech Republic and Slovakia use similar Israeli-made radars.

The purchase is part of Greece’s plans to modernise its military by 2030.

David’s Sling is designed to intercept tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and medium-to-long-range rockets.

David’s Sling can engage threats from 40km to 300km away.

Spyder is designed to engage low-altitude aircraft, helicopters, drones and guided munitions.

Barak MX can engage cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, jets, helicopters and UAVs from 35km to 150km.

The United States is running critically low on Patriots.

In May, Switzerland was told a U.S. Patriot delivery would be delayed and more expensive amid the Iran war.

The Greece-Israel-Cyprus military relationship has previously drawn negative reactions from Ankara.

A June Pew poll found about 76 percent of Greeks do not believe Netanyahu will do the right thing on world affairs.

Cyprus in December was the first to buy Israel’s Barak defence system.

Greek opposition figures have criticised Mitsotakis’s closer ties with Israel and accused Israel of seeking a proxy.

Turkiye has not yet reacted to the new defence deal.

Turkish defence commentators condemned Cyprus’s Barak purchase at the time.

In 2023 IAI acquired Intracom Defence, which it called Greece’s leading technology defence company.

In December 2025 Netanyahu met his Greek and Cypriot counterparts for the tenth time since 2016.

Past talks focused on energy, undersea cables and the India-Middle East-Europe corridor.

Greek media said before the December meeting that the three nations might develop a rapid response force.