The Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence (KYSEA) has approved a new defence procurement package designed to address the demands of modern warfare, including unmanned aerial systems (drones), artificial intelligence, and layered air defence.

Presenting the programme, Defence Minister Nikos Dendias outlined the new strategy, weapons systems, and key pillars of the plan, announcing that KYSEA had approved the following:

1. An integrated anti-aircraft, anti-ballistic and counter-drone shield (“Achilles’ Shield”)
2. Non-kinetic counter-unmanned systems for neutralising hostile drones without using conventional weapons.
3. HERON 1 unmanned aerial systems
4. Small Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites, providing real-time satellite imagery under full national control.
5. Class II unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), including the acquisition of 10 additional V-BAT drone systems.
6. Night-vision devices to become standard equipment as part of the modern soldier’s combat kit.
7. Three new C-390 Millennium transport aircraft, with the first scheduled for delivery in 2027. The Embraer aircraft will be acquired through a government-to-government agreement between Greece and Portugal and will also be capable of serving as air-to-air refuelling tankers for fighter aircraft.
8. Ten underwater special operations vehicles, eight of which will be built at the Skaramangas Shipyards in Greece and two in the United Kingdom.
9. Upgrades to Greece’s four MEKO-class frigates, including advanced anti-submarine warfare systems.
10. Laser-guided HELLFIRE missiles to enhance the strike capabilities of Apache attack helicopters.
11. Postgraduate programmes in the United States aimed at developing a pool of officers with advanced expertise in autonomous systems and artificial intelligence.

Although the government refers to the initiative as a 10-programme procurement package, Dendias also included the postgraduate education initiative as part of the broader defence modernisation agenda.

The minister said the goal is to transform the Armed Forces into a force capable of collecting, processing and acting on operational data in real time, enabling them to respond effectively to future security challenges.

Referring to “Achilles’ Shield,” Dendias described it as a multi-layered network of defence systems forming an integrated command-and-control architecture. He added that Greek defence companies are expected to participate in the programme with contracts worth €700 million.

More reforms to be unveiled in September

Dendias said that while KYSEA had approved a major part of the government’s “Agenda 2030” defence reform, the process is not yet complete.

He announced that September will see the presentation of the second phase of the new Force Structure, together with the next stage of Greece’s long-term defence procurement plan covering the period 2027–2037.