Israel and Greece sign historic deal to build Achilles Shield

Israel and Greece have signed a roughly 3 billion euro contract for an integrated Greek air-defense system that Israel will build under the name Achilles Shield.

The system will bring together several Israeli technologies. These include David’s Sling for medium- and long-range air and missile defense, Barak MX for intercepting aircraft, drones and missiles, and Spyder, a mobile short- and medium-range system for aircraft and drones.

Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries, Israel’s two largest defense companies, will take part in the project. The package will also include ELTA Systems’ MMR multimission air-surveillance radars and a national command-and-control system developed by Rafael.

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the largest defense export in the history of relations between Israel and Greece, and one of the largest in the history of the State of Israel

The agreement was signed at Israel’s Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv by Israel’s director general of defense, Gen. Amir Baram, and his Greek counterpart, Ioannis Bouras. Israel’s Defense Ministry said this marked the first time it had supplied a complete defense system covering a broad range of threats, from ballistic missiles and aircraft to unmanned aerial vehicles.

The two sides also signed a separate 26 million euro agreement for Rafael’s Drone Dome systems, designed to defend against unmanned vehicles. The deal includes Israeli industrial cooperation with Greece, including the transfer of knowledge and technology to Greek industry. Israel’s Defense Ministry called the project a milestone in defense cooperation with what it described as a key strategic partner in the Eastern Mediterranean.

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This project represents another milestone in defense cooperation between Israel and Greece, a key strategic partner in the Eastern Mediterranean.