Israel’s Defense Ministry and Greece’s Defense Ministry signed a massive defense deal Monday worth roughly 3 billion euros—more than $3.2 billion—marking the largest defense export agreement in the history of Israeli-Greek relations and one of the biggest defense contracts Israel has ever signed.
Under the agreement, Israel will build a multi-layered air defense system for Greece in a project dubbed “Achilles Shield.” The deal comes against the backdrop of ongoing tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly with Turkey, as Athens seeks to significantly bolster its defense capabilities against a range of aerial threats.
1+The system Israel will build for Greece will be based on architecture and systems manufactured by Israeli defense industries, alongside operational knowledge accumulated by Israel’s security establishment during years of combat and confronting advanced threats. The system is expected to provide protection against ballistic missiles, aerial attacks, unmanned aerial vehicles, and other threats.
1+The signing ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv was attended by Defense Ministry Director General Maj. Gen. (res.) Emir Eshel and head of Greece’s procurement administration, Yannis Bouras. Also present were the head of SIBAT, Brig. Gen. (res.) Yair Kulas, head of the Defense Ministry’s Research and Development Directorate, Brig. Gen. (res.) Dr. Danny Gold, Rafael CEO Yoav Tourgeman, Israel Aerospace Industries CEO Guy Bar Lev, and head of the Homa Directorate Moshe Patal.
Under the deal, Greece will receive several of Israel’s most advanced defense systems, including David’s Sling—led by the Homa Directorate in the Defense Ministry’s R&D arm and Rafael—the BARAK MX system and MMR multi-mission radars manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries, and Rafael’s SPYDER system. In addition, Rafael will lead development of a new national command and control system that will integrate all capabilities under one framework.
Alongside the Achilles Shield deal, a complementary agreement worth 26 million euros was signed for the sale of DRONE DOME systems, designed to protect strategic sites from UAVs and drones.
The Defense Ministry said the agreements also include enhanced industrial-defense cooperation between the countries, including transfer of knowledge and technology to Greece’s domestic industry. Defense Minister Israel Katz welcomed the deal, calling it another step in deepening the strategic partnership between Israel and Greece in the face of shared regional challenges.
The Defense Ministry director general and heads of the defense industries noted that the deal represents international confidence in the technological superiority of Israeli industries and is expected to serve as a growth engine for establishing independence in armaments and force-building for the IDF.