ATHENS (dpa-AFX) – Greece has significantly increased its defense budget. The budget approved on Sunday provides for spending of 6.1 billion euros for the coming year – almost twice as much as in 2019 (3.5 billion euros). In addition to investments in fighter jets, frigates, submarines and intelligent weapons, a protective shield should also be built to defend against drones and missiles.
In his speech at the budget debate, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis referred to a necessary “radical restructuring” of the armed forces to make them more efficient. Defense Minister Nikos Dendias promised: The military is entering a new era with “smart weapon systems and an anti-drone dome.”
Protection against drone attacks
Since Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Athens has been calling for a common European air defense system against enemy aircraft, missiles and drones. Greece is one of 21 countries participating in the European Sky Shield air defense system initiated by Germany. But Athens’ progress is too slow.
The Greek “Iron Dome” is different from the Israeli mobile missile defense system because the threat is different, Dendias explained in a recent interview with the newspaper “To Vima”. While Israel has to defend itself against rockets, a dome against drone attacks must be built in Greece. Drones are much smaller than rockets, they move low and much slower. “If the radar system and the artificial intelligence of the entire system are not suitable, they will not detect drones,” warned Dendias.
The background: Turkey has become a leading manufacturer of unmanned aerial vehicles with its Bayraktar drones. Because of the disputes with its neighboring country, Greece traditionally spends well over 2 percent of its gross national product on armaments every year. However, Türkiye’s budget is many times higher.
The Greeks recently purchased three state-of-the-art Belharra frigates and 24 Rafale fighter jets from France. The planned dome could “free the air force from the obligation to provide anti-aircraft defense so that it acts as a force multiplier and not just a defense tool,” said Dendias./axa/DP/ngu