Amid Turkey’s growing threat to the region, Israel is helping Greece build a missile and drone defense system. The multi-billion-dollar deal, set to be signed early next week, seeks to create a multi-layered air defense shield protecting the Mediterranean nation.
“Greece and Israel are expected to sign agreements on Monday in Tel Aviv on the “Achilles’ Shield” programme, totaling €3 billion [$3.6 billion],” the Greek business daily Naftemporiki reported Friday.
Achilles’ Shield, named after the mythological Greek hero, will be jointly built by Israeli and Greek defense manufacturers. According to the newspaper, “the new anti-aircraft, anti-ballistic and counter-drone system will be operational within 35 months.”
“It will comprise a range of weapons systems creating overlapping “domes” over the entire Greek territory, supported by an integrated command-and-control system and involving the participation of Greece’s defense industry,” the daily added.
The project is already in an advanced stage. Israel has tested the components of the new system on its Iron Dome platform. “The system is designed to combine existing Greek assets, including Patriot air defense systems and drones already deployed at military facilities on islands and the mainland, with Israeli-made air defense platforms,” the English edition of Greek newspaper Kathimerini reported Friday. “Officials say the systems incorporated into Achilles’ Shield have already been integrated into Israel’s Iron Dome architecture and tested against aerial attacks.”
Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias on Greek version of the Iron Dome:
Achilles Shield is a much more holistic approach than anything that exists. It is far more comprehensive than Iron Dome or the Golden Dome because it includes everything, every kind of challenge, whether… pic.twitter.com/BJMzXk5Dh7
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Israel’s Ynetnews reported:
Israel and Greece are moving to the next stage of their defense cooperation. The deal to establish Greece’s air and missile defense network is expected to be signed in Tel Aviv on Monday, in a large-scale project known as “Achilles’ Shield,” with an estimated cost of about 3.1 billion euros.
This is one of the largest defense projects to emerge from cooperation between the two countries. Following the signing, the implementation phase is expected to begin and is slated to last about 35 months.
The agreement will be signed between procurement officials at the Greek Defense Ministry and SIBAT, the International Defense Cooperation Directorate at Israel’s Defense Ministry, which is responsible for international defense
Under the plan, Greece is expected to combine systems it already possesses with advanced Israeli systems, including Spyder, Barak MX and David’s Sling, alongside Patriot systems and other capabilities.
The central idea is to create a single network in which sensors, command-and-control systems and interceptors “communicate” with one another, allowing the most appropriate defense system to be selected for each threat. Alongside the military aspect, the deal also includes a significant component for Greece’s defense industry.
About 12 Greek companies are expected to participate in the project, with the value of their involvement expected to exceed 700 million euros. Greek industry’s share of the project is expected to be about 25%.
The project plans to make Greece’s defense industry more self-reliant. According to Israel’s C-Tech news website, Greece seeks “to combine the acquisition of foreign systems with the development of capabilities inside Greece.”
‘Greece needs more weapons and must be better prepared to defend itself. If not for Turkish revisionism, Greece would not require such extensive armaments and protection.’
Kostis Konstantinou (@CostisCon) joins @Nicole_Zedeck joins #MiddleEastNow pic.twitter.com/WQLpk6p47L
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) August 27, 2026
Athens and Jerusalem are deepening their defense ties as Turkey threatens to invade Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. In recent years, Turkey has developed advanced missile and drone capabilities and made no secret of using them to target the Greek mainland and islands.
Alongside verbal threats from Erdoğan and other Turkish officials, Turkey has advanced its military presence around the Aegean and Mediterranean seas. With a client Islamist regime ruling Damascus, Turkey has occupied parts of Syria and wants to set up forward military bases across the country. Turkey’s expanding military presence threatens both Israel and Greece.
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