Israel-Greece Defense Deal: $3.2B Air Defense Agreement

Israel's Defense Ministry and Greece's Ministry of Defense signed a major defense agreement on Monday valued at approximately 3 billion euros (over $3.2 billion). Under the terms of the deal, Israel will establish a comprehensive multi-layered air defense system for Greece, built entirely on Israeli-designed architecture and systems, drawing on operational experience gained during recent conflicts.

The agreement was signed by Major General (ret.) Emir Baram, director-general of Israel's Defense Ministry, and Yannis Boras, head of Greece's procurement administration. The signing ceremony took place at the Defense Ministry offices in Tel Aviv, attended by senior officials including Brigadier General (ret.) Yair Kulas, head of SIBAT (Israel's defense export agency), Brigadier General (ret.) Dr. Danny Gold, head of the Defense Ministry's Directorate of Defense Research and Development (known by its Hebrew acronym MAFAT), Yoav Tourgeman, CEO of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Guy Bar Lev, CEO of Israel Aerospace Industries, Moshe Patal, head of MAFAT's Homa (Wall) administration, and other senior figures.

The program, known in Greece as "Achilles Shield," is one of the largest defense contracts in Israeli history. This marks the first time Israel's Defense Ministry will supply a complete defense system capable of addressing a wide range of threats—from ballistic missiles and aerial attacks to hostile unmanned aerial vehicles.

The deal includes several components:

The David's Sling system, developed under the leadership of MAFAT's Homa administration in partnership with Rafael as the primary developer
The BARAK MX system manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries
The Spyder system produced by Rafael
Multi-mission MMR radars for air control manufactured by IAI's Elta division
A new national command and control system that will integrate all air defense capabilities, to be developed under Rafael's leadership.

Additionally, a supplementary agreement worth 26 million euros (approximately $28 million) was signed for the sale of Rafael's Drone Dome systems to protect strategic sites and enhance existing defenses against drones and unmanned aircraft. As part of ongoing government-to-government cooperation between Israel and Greece's defense ministries, Israel will also increase industrial-defense collaboration, including knowledge and technology transfer to Greek domestic industry.

Greece's decision to make Israeli technology the backbone of its most ambitious air defense modernization program in a decade reflects the depth of trust built between the two nations.