Greece will spend more than €25 billion in arms procurements by 2036, including new submarines, drones, satellites and fighter jets, under a 12-year plan to be submitted to parliament in the coming weeks, three officials with knowledge of the plan have told Reuters.
The move is part of Greece’s bid to modernise its armed forces as it emerges from its 2009-18 debt crisis that led to years of austerity, and as it tries to keep pace with its historic rival Turkiye. The two countries are at odds over sea boundaries, energy resources and air space in the eastern Mediterranean.
The new plan will build on recent reforms. Greece, a member of the European Union and NATO, already spends about three per cent of its gross domestic product on defence. That is nearly double the average in EU member states, which are under pressure to bolster defences as the 75-year-old NATO alliance with the United States comes under strain.
The plan will include the purchase of four new submarines; new air, sea and underwater drones; and a communication satellite, said two sources who participated in the preparation of the plan.
Part of the money will be used to develop an anti-aircraft and anti-drone dome called Achilles Shield, and to pay for 20 F-35 fighter jets that have been ordered from the United States. Under the plan, Greece will also upgrade older F-16 fighter jets to “Viper” level and upgrade four German-made MEKO 200 frigates already serving in the Greek Navy.
A third source said that the plan will include up to six new big patrol boats or corvettes, to be built in Greek shipyards.
The new moves follow already-announced plans to buy a new long-range rocket artillery system with a range of up to 300 km. Most of these will protect Greece’s north-east border with Turkiye and its islands in the Aegean.
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