Senior Greek official to Globes: This is the signing date of the historic arms deal with Israel
Globes has learned that the mega-deal to sell Israeli air defense systems to Greece for approximately $3.6 billion is expected to be signed on Monday. The approval of this defense contract will mark one of the largest achievements in the history of the Ministry of Defense.
Israel and Greece are expected to sign the historic agreement this coming Monday as part of the "Achilles Shield" project, for the sale of three air defense systems to Athens for approximately 3.1 billion euros (about 3.6 billion dollars). This was confirmed in a conversation with Globes by a senior Greek official, following a report on the local "Skai" website. Globes has learned that the person who will sign the agreement on behalf of Israel on Monday is the Director General of the Ministry of Defense, Major General (res.) Amir Eshel.
According to the Greek report, all deliveries will be carried out within 35 months, with about 700 million euros of the deal going to local companies. That is, about a quarter of the deal. The Greek companies expected to take part in the mega-deal are Mytilineos, Scytalys, EAS, PPC, EAV, Prisma, and Onex. The outline of the deal was approved by the Greek National Security Council (KYSEA) about a month ago, and it includes systems manufactured by Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
The Israeli air defense systems that Greece is purchasing are "David's Sling" by Rafael for the upper layer, "Barak MX" manufactured by IAI for the middle layer, and "Spyder" by Rafael for the lower layer. In general, "David's Sling" is not a system that is sold often, and not because of a lack of demand, but because of its technological quality. Its main deal to date was in August 2023 to Finland, for about 316 million euros.
The system has a range of up to 300 km and a speed of 7.5 Mach, and it is relevant for intercepting cruise missiles, aircraft, and UAVs. The system also reflects internal Israeli cooperation: it includes an MMR radar developed by Elta, a division of IAI, and the "Golden Shaked" command and control system - a product of Elbit's Elisra company. The success of "David's Sling" led the defense establishment to decide in May 2024 to decommission the American Patriot ("Yahalom") batteries.
For many years, the Greeks did not invest in military technologies, and now they find themselves with a gap in general, and in the face of the central threat from Turkey in particular. The large sum of the deal is intended at the initial stage to cover only the areas of Thrace and the eastern Aegean Sea, with additional deals expected later.
Combination of interceptor missiles
The "Barak MX" system supports various radars and launchers for coverage against fighter jets, helicopters, UAVs, cruise missiles, and surface-to-surface missiles. The system is based on an intelligent and operationally proven control center, which allows for the integration of additional interceptor missiles:
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"Barak MRAD" (short range up to 35 km) — vertical launch, high speed, single-pulse motor.
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"Barak LRAD" (medium range up to 70 km) — vertical launch, dual-pulse motor.
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"Barak ER" (long range up to 150 km) — includes a rocket booster and dual-pulse motor.
The engines for the "Barak MX" interceptors are produced by the state-owned company Tomer. The only model in use in the Israeli air defense array is the LRAD, which is used on Sa'ar 6 ships. The "Barak MX" system has been sold to a number of countries, most notably Azerbaijan in November 2023 for 1.2 billion dollars.
The "Spyder" system, presented to the Greek Air Force in April 2024, provides air defense solutions against a variety of aerial threats, including UAVs, aircraft, and short-range ballistic missiles, using the Python and Derby interceptor families.
Historic achievement
In conclusion, the approval of the Greek National Security Council will be an achievement of historic scale for the Ministry of Defense. After defense exports reached a record of 19.2 billion dollars last year, of which about 10 billion were in government-to-government (G2G) deals, Israel continues to strengthen its global position. This follows the deal with Romania and a visit by the Ministry's Director General, Major General (res.) Amir Eshel, to India.
Until now, the largest defense deal ever for the State of Israel was the sale of the IAI's Arrow 3 to Germany in 2023, for about 3.5 billion dollars, followed by a 3.1 billion dollar deal last December. The sale of Spyder to Romania is considered a separate major transaction. The record prior to the Arrow 3 deals belonged to the sale of Barak 8 (MRSAM) systems to India in 2017.
The Ministry of Defense did not provide a response.
