The agreements are scheduled to be signed in Tel Aviv on August 31 between Greece’s General Directorate for Defence Investments and Armaments and SIBAT, the international defence cooperation directorate of Israel’s Ministry of Defence, alongside participating companies. As of Sunday, official accounts described the signing as forthcoming rather than completed.
The programme will combine Israeli-made interception systems with command-and-control infrastructure intended to protect Greece against aircraft, ballistic and other missiles, drones and related aerial threats. Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias has put the cost of the anti-aircraft component at slightly more than €3 billion and said the system will be delivered in stages.
Athens expects the completed network to be operational within 35 months. The project received approval from Greece’s Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence, known as KYSEA, on July 23 as part of a broader package of military procurement programmes.
The planned architecture includes Rafael Advanced Defense Systems’ SPYDER air-defence system and David’s Sling, which is designed to intercept larger rockets and missiles, as well as Israel Aerospace Industries’ Barak MX air and missile defence system. The systems are expected to operate as layers within a common network rather than as standalone acquisitions.
A central command-and-control structure is also planned to link sensors, interceptors and operational decision-making across the defence umbrella. Greek officials have made access to source code a condition for critical command-and-control systems, arguing that the armed forces must retain sufficient sovereign control over software architecture and future modifications.
Dendias said after the July approval that Greece would have the source code for the command-and-control element. He described such access as essential for systems considered central to national security and said Athens generally would not acquire major command-and-control capabilities without it.
Industrial participation is another element of the agreement. Greece has set a minimum target of 25 per cent domestic participation in major defence programmes, and Dendias has said Greek companies’ involvement in the air-defence package will exceed €700 million.
The procurement extends beyond the purchase of finished Israeli systems. Greek companies are expected to participate through production, integration, support and other work allocated under the programme, although the precise division of contracts among participating firms has not been publicly detailed.
The Achilles’ Shield project forms part of Greece’s armed-forces modernisation plan, under which Athens is replacing ageing equipment and building greater protection against missiles and unmanned systems. The government plans major defence expenditure through the next decade, including combat aircraft, naval vessels, drones and supporting infrastructure.
Greece already operates US-made Patriot batteries and Russian-designed S-300 systems, while its new air-defence plan is intended to create a more integrated network covering multiple threat ranges. Existing Greek capabilities are expected to remain relevant as the new architecture is introduced progressively.
The agreement would also deepen an established defence procurement relationship between Greece and Israel. Their defence ministries signed a separate agreement in Athens on June 4 for Elbit Systems’ PULS rocket artillery systems, valued by Israel’s Ministry of Defence at about $750 million, or approximately €650 million.
That PULS transaction was signed by officials from SIBAT and Greece’s armaments directorate and involved Elbit Systems Land. It is distinct from the much larger Achilles’ Shield package now scheduled for signature in Tel Aviv.
Greece has acquired or pursued Israeli-origin missiles, drones and precision weapons as it upgrades capabilities.
The air-defence programme has drawn particular attention because of its scale and the level of technological integration envisaged. The proposed combination of SPYDER, David’s Sling and Barak MX would give Greece different interception layers while placing their operation under a shared command framework.
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