While Greek defence procurement has been somewhat of a mixed bag in recent years, the Greek Ministry of National Defence (MND) is on the cusp of embarking on a major new modernisation plan.
According to NATO’s latest figures for member states’ defence spending estimates as a percentage of GDP (the cut-off date for data of which was June 2024), Greece ranks as the fifth-highest country in the Alliance, at 3.08%. Of the top seven spenders, Greece is one of only two nations (the other being the United States) that does not have a direct border with Russia.
In 2022 Greece actually topped the list of NATO defence spenders in terms of GDP percentage, spending 3.88%. For 2025, meanwhile, Greece will almost double its defence spending, which is projected to rise to EUR 6.1 billion. Much of Greek defence spending is spurred by its long-running tensions with Turkey, which has a much greater defence budget in absolute terms.
Within the Greek armed forces’ new ‘Long-Term Defense Armament Planning’ programme, which covers procurement from 2025 to 2037, around EUR 25 billion will be allocated over the next 12 years to a wide range of programmes. The Long-Term Defense Armament Planning programme was set to be presented to the Greek Parliament in early April 2025. Thus, while a number of Greek defence programmes have ostensibly been approved, they are likely to move forward in earnest once the new defence plan has been debated in parliament and agreed upon.
Air procurement
A major portion of Greek defence spending comes as a result of the country’s decision to join the US-led F-35 Lightning II programme.
The current backbone of the Hellenic Air Force’s (HAF’s) combat air capability is provided by a fleet of more than a hundred Lockheed Martin F-16C/Ds, 84 of which are being upgraded to the F-16V standard, as well as a fleet of 24 new and second-hand Dassault Rafales ordered between January 2021 and March 2022, the last of which was delivered in January 2025. However, the air force also operates older types, such as the Dassault Mirage 2000-5 and McDonnell DouglasF-4 Phantom II.
As a seasoned F-16 operator it was a logical progression for Greece to join numerous other European air forces flying the Fighting Falcon to transition to F-35. After Greece initially selected the F-35 in April 2019, the US State Department approved a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) of up to 40 F-35s in January 2024, in an overall package worth EUR 8.6 billion.
Greece then formally signed a letter of acceptance (LOA) for the procurement of 20 F-35As on 25 July 2024 to form an initial squadron. These aircraft are scheduled to be delivered in 2028, but will initially remain in the United States to facilitate the training of Greek aircrew and technicians. Greece is then expected to subsequently exercise an option to procure an additional 20 F-35As.
While the Greek F-35 programme moves forward, the HAF is moving to extend the service life of its F-16 fleet and maintain operational readiness. In November 2024 the US State Department approved a USD 160 million (EUR 148.75 million) engine support package for the HAF’s F-16 fleet.
While the HAF’s transport fleet currently consists on paper of eight C-27J Spartans, five C-130B Hercules aircraft and 10 C-130Hs. Less than half a dozen of the C-130s are understood to be operational, which has become a significant issue in relation to the Greek government’s ability to respond to natural disasters in the region. With that in mind, in February 2023 the Greek government ordered the purchase of six second-hand C-130J Super Hercules aircraft from Italy. Subsequently, in February 2024, the US State Department gave advanced notice of an intention to transfer two legacy US C-130Hs to Greece as Excess Defense Articles (EDA). The need to modernise the C-27Js has also been identified. The goal set by the Greek Ministry of National Defence (MND) and HAF is to have at least 10 C-130s and C-27s available for operations by 2027, according to reporting by Greek newspaper Kathimerini.
Regarding rotary-wing acquisitions, on 29 October 2024 Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky business received an FMS contract estimated to be worth USD 1.95 billion to supply the Hellenic Army with 35 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters. The Hellenic Navy (HN) already operates 11 S-70B Seahawk helicopters and is procuring seven MH-60R Seahawks, the last of which is due to arrive in 2025, giving Greece operational and sustainment advantages in terms of fleet commonality.
In April 2021 Israel’s Elbit Systems and the Israeli Ministry of Defence were contracted by the Greek government to establish an International Flight Training Centre for the HAF at its 120 Air Training Wing in Kalamata. Here trainee pilots move on from the HAF’s fleet of Beechcraft T-6A Texan II turboprop trainers to train on 10 Leonardo M-346 advanced jet trainers. Elbit landed the first M-346s at Kalamata in May 2023 and the first HAF pilot cadets to train on these graduated in December 2024.
The HAF also has upgrading its fleet of four EMB-145H Erieye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft as a priority and needs to find new search-and-rescue (SAR) helicopters to replace its obsolescent fleet of 12 AB-205As.
Greece is meanwhile looking to initiate a USD 2 billion programme to develop and field an integrated air and missile defence system to be known as Achilles’ Shield. Greek officials have already been talking with Israeli air defence providers, but in March 2025 it emerged that Germany’s Diehl Defence, which makes the IRIS-T surface-to-air missile (SAM), is also in discussion with Athens. An air defence system such as IRIS-T SLS could replace Greece’s Russian-made 9K33 Osa-M and 9K331 Tor-M1 short-range air defence systems, while Greek newspaper Kathimerini has reported that the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Barak MX air defence system is favoured to replace Greece’s I-HAWK medium-range and S-300PMU1 long-range air defence systems; the latter of which is being divested and transferred to Armenia’s Armed Forces.
The Long-Term Defense Armament Planning programme also outlines the need to modernise Greece’s PATRIOT air defence systems and acquire new radar systems to replace outdated ground-based radar units.
In terms of its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capabilities Greece has been somewhat behind the curve in developing indigenous UAV capabilities. The HAF’s UAV inventory, for example, currently consists of three leased Israeli Aerospace Industries Heron 1 medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAVs and a small number of indigenously-developed Pegasus II MALE UAVs that are now around 20 years old. The Hellenic Army, meanwhile, operates around half a dozen different types of tactical UAV.
On 4 July 2024, the Greek defence minister at the time, Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, announced to the Greek parliament that EUR 400 million would be allocated to purchase three General Atomics-Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) MQ-9B SeaGuardian UAVs, one of which was demonstrated to the HAF and Hellenic Coast Guard in December 2019. However, a firm Greek order for MQ-9Bs does not seem to have been made.
The Hellenic Centre for Defense Innovation (ELKAK), meanwhile, asked in March 2025 for expressions of interest in developing a Greek cargo transport UAV to ensure the rapid and accurate delivery of supplies, particularly in remote or inaccessible areas where the use of conventional means is not feasible or efficient.
Land procurement
Under Greece’s Long-Term Defense Armament Planning programme, a significant portion of the funding is allocated to the Hellenic Army, although more than 40% of the funds allocated to the army, amounting to around EUR 1.8 billion, is allocated to the replacement of Greece’s Russian-made 9K33 Osa-M and 9K331 Tor-M1 short-range air defence systems.
Beyond this, key programmes include:
- The modernisation of the tank fleet;
- The acquisition of new Israeli multiple rocket launchers (MRLs)
- The upgrade of the army’s Czech-made RM-70 MRLs;
- The modernisation of the army’s armoured personnel carriers (APCs);
- the procurement of new infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) after 2030;
- the acquisition of new wheeled general-purpose vehicles;
- the acquisition of electronic warfare systems for the Signal Corps;
- the procurement of loitering munitions (LMs); and
- acquisition of the aforementioned UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters.
The Hellenic Army’s main battle tank (MBT) fleet consists of 170 Leopard 2A6HELs, 183 Leopard 2A4s and around 500 Leopard 1A4/5s; all M60A1/A3 tanks appear to have been withdrawn from active service, however, at least some M48A3/A5 MOLF tanks appear to remain in service, according to the Hellenic Army website.
In recent years a number of upgrades to the MBT fleets have been proposed and considered, while Greece has also acquired other armoured vehicles through various means.
In April 2024 Greek company EODH, in collaboration with Belgian-Spanish DUMA and Franco-German armour manufacturer KNDS, presented its proposed Leopard 1HEL upgrade for Greece’s Leopard 1A5s, which could be a significant development given that the Hellenic Army is currently holds the largest Leopard 1 fleet. The upgrade includes mobility improvements that include a new 746 kW (1,000 hp) engine, reinforced suspension, new track system and enhanced driver station with all-weather vision; a new stabilised turret drive system and integrated fire control system; a passive/reactive armour protection package, a sensor suite for active protection, and remote weapon station (RWS); and other enhancements that include a multi-layered communication system, sensor-effector fusion, a battlefield management system and an AI-centric architecture.
In February 2023 Greek defence news website defencereview.gr reported that the Greek defence minister at the time, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, had announced the Greek government’s approval for the upgrade of 123 Greek Leopard 2A4 MBTs to the Leopard 2A7 configuration as well as the acquisition from Rheinmetall of 250 KF41 Lynx infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs). However, it does not appear that contracts for these deals have so far materialised.
Via Rheinmetall, the German government has already supplied Greece with 40 overhauled Marder 1A3 IFVs from former Bundeswehr stocks through the ‘Ringtausch’ project, under which the Marders were received in exchange for Greece transferring a similar number of Russian-built BMP-1 IFVs to Ukraine, with the first Marder 1A3s arriving in Greece in late 2022 and all 40 delivered by July 2023.
At Greece’s DEFEA 2023 exhibition, held in Athens in May of that year, EODH unveiled its Leopard 2A4 modernisation package. This included the Advanced Integrated Platform Protection System (ASPIS) Modular NG-MBT advanced protection system (which includes both passive explosive reactive armour (ERA) modules as well as active armour modules), improved optical devices, an upgraded fire control system, and a combat control system.
As the result of a US–Greek intergovernmental agreement concluded in January 2021, Greece has received a total of 1,202 M1117 Guardian Armored Security Vehicles from the US Department of Defense as EDAs, the first of which arrived in December 2021.
While in 2020 Greece had initially planned to acquire 350 M2 Bradley IFVs from US Army surplus stocks to replace its fleet of around 1,860 M113A1/A2 APCs, by October 2024 the Greek MND had rejected the offer of ‘free’ Bradleys, citing their poor condition and the excessive refurbishment costs required to acquire them. By December 2024 it appeared that the Hellenic Army instead is planning to modernise around 500 M113s as a cost-effective stopgap alternative. Israeli companies Elbit Systems and Rafael have offered proposals for this upgrade, which would likely feature a RWS with a 30 mm armament to increase the APCs’ firepower, upgraded armour, a more powerful engine and upgraded communications and electronic systems.
In January 2024 Greek newspaper Kathimerini reported that Greece was close to closing a deal with Israel’s Elbit Systems to procure 40 Precise & Universal Launching System (PULS) MRLs in a deal estimated to be worth EUR 500-700 million. The PULS can be used to launch a variety of munitions, from 122 mm rockets to 370 mm quasi-ballistic missiles and also Elbit SkyStriker LMs. According to the Kathimerini report, the Greek MND plans to buy six types of munitions for the European version of PULS (Euro PULS), with ranges from 35 to 300 km, as well as SkyStriker LMs.
Regarding the upgrade to the Hellenic Army’s 122 mm RM-70 MRLs, which are heavier Czech variants of the Soviet-designed BM-21 system, manufacturer Excalibur Army demonstrated the upgrade possibilities to the army in November 2021. The modernisation programme, according to Excalibur Army, would include a new weapon control and aiming system, a fire control system with a ballistic computer, a new inertial navigation with GPS systems, communication and data systems, and the ability to control the weapon system either directly from the vehicle cabin or remotely.
After Greece signalled a desire in mid-2022 to obtain AAV-7 amphibious assault vehicles being phased out by the US Marine Corps, the US State Department approved a USD 268 million FMS package in March 2023 covering 63 AAVP-7A1 personnel variants, nine AAVC-7A1 command variants and four AAVR-7A1 recovery variants. However, according to reporting by Doureius Ippou, the Greek budget for the AAV-7 procurement was frozen in late 2023, in part to facilitate the use of US Foreign Military Financing (FMF) credits for the procurement of LMs.
In December 2024 the Greek Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defense (KYSEA) approved the acquisition of 600 US-made Switchblade 300 and Switchblade 600 LMs via the US FMF programme. With the unit cost of the Switchblade LMs being reduced by the demand for them in Ukraine and elsewhere, it is possible that Greece might acquire additional systems.
Naval procurement
The HN is a mid-sized naval force currently operating 13 frigates, 41 patrol and coastal combatants, 10 diesel-electric submarines, three mine countermeasures vessels and a variety of other vessels such as landing craft and logistics and support vessels. However, the main surface fleet will need to undergo a renewal process within the next decade. Greek naval procurement is thus focused mainly on modernising the HN’s fleet by 2032 through a combination of upgrading existing ships and having new ones built, both locally and abroad.
Throughout 2024 the US government had looked to offload four former US Navy Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ships (LCSs) onto Greece. However, due to the US Navy’s troublesome history with these vessels, on 14 December 2024 Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias appeared to pour cold water on that idea in a speech to the Hellenic parliament – especially to the notion of actually paying for the LCSs, which would requirement significant work, as opposed to being gifted them in a free transfer.
Meanwhile, HN modernisation is focused on six main initiatives, the most important of which is currently the acquisition of a fleet of frigates based on French shipyard Naval Group’s Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention (FDI) design for the French Navy. Greece signed an agreement with Naval Group to purchase three FDI frigates, along with an option for a fourth ship, in September 2021. Thus far, two Greek FDI frigates have been launched, on 28 September 2023 and 19 September 2024, with the third scheduled to be launched in June 2025. The first pair of Greek FDI vessels, Kimon and Nearchos, are expected to be commissioned in late 2025, with the third, Formion, following in early 2026. The Greek MND has meanwhile confirmed its intention to take up the option to procure a fourth frigate, negotiations for which are reported ongoing.
In September 2024, during launch ceremony for the Nearchos, Defence Minister Dendias announced that, as well as starting procedures to acquire a fourth FDI frigate, Greece is looking to arm the FDI ships with MBDA Missile de Croisière Naval (MdCN) ship-launched cruise missiles. There is also a separate programme to procure a number of Schiebel Camcopter S-100 rotary-wing UAVs to be operated from the Greek FDI frigates.
In March 2025, meanwhile, Greek defence news outlet Doureios Ippos reported that Italy had formally notified Greece of the availability of two of its FREMM frigates, Carlo Bergamini and Virginio Fasan, for potential transfer after 2028. This offer is currently under review by the Greek MND. The HN has also previously shown an interest in acquiring second hand LCF area air defence frigates should they become available.
Another significant HN initiative is the potential acquisition of three new corvettes, again with the possibility of subsequently adding a fourth. The Navy is currently defining its requirements for these vessels, based on lessons learned from current conflicts in its region of operations, but intends for at least two of the corvettes built in Greek shipyards. As part of this effort, Greece is a full member of the EU’s Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) project to explore the development of a European Patrol Corvette (EPC).
In June 2024, meanwhile, the Greek Parliamentary Arms Committee approved the HN’s participation in the US Constellation (FFG-62) class frigate programme, for which a Fincantieri Marinette Marine design based on the Franco-Italian FREMM multi-role frigate was selected in April 2020. As with the future corvette programme, Greece is looking to have some of these frigates built at Greek shipyards. Assuming that an FMS case with the US government proceeds in line with delivering on Greece’s requirements with participating in the programme, the result will be a fleet of up to seven FFG-62 frigates that will deliver a significant step-up in the HN’s capabilities.
Regarding mid-life update (MLU) programmes, the HN plans to modernise both its four Hydra class frigates, which are based on the German MEKO 200 design and entered service from 1992, and its fleet of seven Roussen (Super Vita) class fast attack craft – missile (FACMs), which are based on a UK Vosper Thornycroft design, and entered service between 2005 and 2022.
The aim of the Hydra class MLU is to extend the service life of the frigates by at least 15 years by addressing obsolescence issues, upgrading current systems and installing new equipment. Discussions on this programme, according to reporting by the Naval News website, are proceeding with a consortium comprising Germany’s thyssenKrupp Marine Systems (tkms), whose subsidiary Blohm + Voss built the frigates in conjunction with Hellenic Shipyards, and French systems house Thales. Naval News reported that Commodore Panagiotis Karavas, Deputy Director of the Armaments Directorate for the HN, estimated that it will take up to four years from the moment a contract is signed before the first modernised frigate begins sea trials.
Regarding the Roussen class FACM MLU, Cdre Karavas told Naval News that a study is currently awaiting approval, with plans to equip the craft with new sensors and systems to maximise their operational capability and address any obsolescence issues. The commodore also stated that the navy is considering procuring up to nine new FACMs to gradually replace its four Laskos-class (Combattante IIIA) and five Kavaloudis-class (Combattante IIIB) vessels in order to maintain a 16-strong FACM force.
The HN is also moving to bolster it patrol boat force; four former US Coast Guard Island class cutters are undergoing repair and upgrade in Greek shipyards, while FMS cases for the procurement of three Protector class and two additional Island class cutters are progressing. The HN’s aim is to operate at eight coastal patrol vessels.
With regard to the HN’s submarine fleet, there are plans for the construction of two new submarines, with an option for two more, as well as upgrading the navy’s four Type 214 boats. Greece’s older Type 209 submarines will presumably be retired as new boats enter the fleet.
Lastly, Greek company Diaplous PHI, formed by a team of former senior naval officers, naval architects and marine engineers, has been developing a special operations craft called the Agenor 18. The first of these entered service with the HN in May 2022, but variants of the design are also being considered for procurement.
Across-the-services procurement
In relation to the Greek MND’s intention to procure new wheeled general-purpose vehicles, on 31 March 2025 Greek company Metlen announced that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Italy’s Iveco Defence Vehicles (IDV) regarding their joint co-operation to provide military vehicles for the Greek army, navy, and air force. The upcoming programme aims to renew Greece’s fleet of both protected and unprotected military trucks across the Greek service arms.
Meanwhile, in April 2023 the Greek MND announced a EUR 370 million procurement of Spike anti-armour missiles for Greek air, land and naval forces. According to available information, 100 Spike-NLOS missiles were to be used to up-arm nine Greek AH-64A attack helicopters, while 17 Spike NLOS systems with 340 missiles would equip Hellenic Army anti-tank units. Four Spike NLOS systems were slated to be fitted to Greek patrol boats and four Spike ER2 systems with 55 missiles were to be assigned to Greek fast patrol boats.
Lastly, in July 2024 the Greek MND issued a request for information (RfI) regarding the acquisition of a Greek military satellite communications (MILSATCOM) solution. The MND’s objective is to “develop, manufacture, put in orbit and operate a MILSATCOM satellite capable of hosting primarily military communications payloads in response to national needs while promoting the development of national industry and utilising national assets to the best possible extend (sic)”, according to the RfI document, which added, “The main objective is to deploy a (Greek) owned high-end MILSATCOM satellite system which will be fully operated by the Ministry of Defence including the satellite, mission and network operations.” Responses to the RfI were due by the end of September 2024.
Peter Felstead
