Hellenic dome? Greece touts ‘Achilles Shield’ air defense system to free up ships, fighter jets

Quartermaster 1st Class Brandon Gould, assigned to the Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50), hoists up the Greek flag as the ship pulls into Souda Bay, Greece for a scheduled port visit (US Navy)

BELFAST — As the US, Turkey and others each race for an Israeli-style comprehensive air defense system, Greece’s top defense official said Athens sees its own ambitious Achilles Shield system as the “heart” of the nation’s modernized military.

In an article posted on the Ministry of Defence’s website, Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias described Achilles Shield as having “anti-missile, anti-aircraft, anti-drone, anti-ship and anti-submarine” capabilities — capabilities that would allow naval ships and fighter jets that currently do homeland defense to instead operate farther from Greek territory.

Dendias did not share additional details about Achilles Shield, but Army Recognition reported earlier this month that the program is valued at €2.8 billion ($3 billion) and the future system could be operational in 2027.

The new comments from Dendias also follow a Reuters report in November that said Greece had entered talks with Israel to potentially develop a version of its Iron Dome, based on the Rafael produced, short-range air defense system.

Israel’s air defense system is made up of three layers of air defenses, with Iron Dome as the lowest tier. Throughout the course of the Gaza conflict, Iron Dome has intercepted “thousands of rockets” alongside drones and cruise missiles, according to Israel’s defense ministry, and Israeli defense executives have noted increased interest from nations who are keen on replicating that success.

It remains to be seen if Athens has settled on acquiring Iron Dome or holds interest in other solutions, but at a more general level, Achilles Shield is part of an extraordinary modernization push expected to cost €25 billion over the next 12 years. Separately, Greece is part of the 23-nation, German-led Sky Shield initiative based on future development of a common ground-based air defense (GBAD) capability.

“In the global geopolitical landscape, which is being rearranged and characterized by instability, we have a duty not to allow Greece to become a prey to developments,” Dendias said, according to an automated translation. “We must strengthen its defense footprint and its role as a pillar of stability and security provider in the wider region of the Eastern Mediterranean and Southeastern Europe.”

Regional concerns appear linked to tension with Turkey and decades old disputes over Cyprus and the Aegean Sea.

Among a raft of other ambitious moves to bolster modernisation, Dendias said that the Greek armed forces will undergo the largest reform of its kind, inspired by “Agenda 2030.”

He added, “With a new philosophy as a guide and innovation as the spearhead, we are creating a broader plan to project power, as a total defense policy.”

The standing up of the Hellenic Center for Defense and Innovation last year has already contributed to such change and will “consolidate Greece’s presence” as a producer of innovative solutions, while also reducing its dependence on foreign made systems.

The Center has released two “calls for interest” tenders, though there is no indication of which weapon systems are being sought.

“Greece is changing the narrative, by utilizing systems that combine low cost with high operational value, with an emphasis, among other things, on drone systems and the utilization of artificial intelligence,” the article on the MoD’s website explained.

It also mentions that Athens is prepared to “take advantage” of recent decisions relating to the European Union’s ReArm Europe program.

On naval procurement matters, Dendias also noted that “the possibility of the country’s participation in the design and construction of Constellation-type frigates with the United States is being examined.”

The US has tasked Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri with building the frigates to replace the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ships, but construction is years behind schedule.