Skip to main content

Greece to buy artillery systems from Israel and drones from US, officials say

1 min Mena Today

Greece is in advanced talks to buy 36 PULS rocket artillery systems from Israel as it pushes to modernise its armed forces, two officials said on Friday.

Most of the new artillery systems will protect Greece's northeastern borders with Turkey and its islands in the Aegean © Mena Today 

Most of the new artillery systems will protect Greece's northeastern borders with Turkey and its islands in the Aegean © Mena Today 

Greece is in advanced talks to buy 36 PULS rocket artillery systems from Israel as it pushes to modernise its armed forces, two officials said on Friday.

The discussions on the 600-700 million euro ($630 million-$735 million) deal come as the countries are in negotiations for Israel to sell Greece a 2-billion-euro anti-aircraft and missile defence dome.

Greece's government will submit the deal to a parliamentary committee for approval in the first quarter of 2025, the officials said.

Athens has drafted a multi-billion, 10-year purchasing plan that also includes acquiring up to 40 new F-35 fighter jets from the U.S. and four frigates from France.

The PULS system, made by Israel's Elbit, has a range of up to 300 km (190 miles), the officials said. The deal also includes the construction of components in Greece.

One of the officials added that on Friday, the country's top decision-making body on foreign affairs and defence matters, KYSEA, approved the procurement of US-made Switchblade drones, made by AeroVironment,

Most of the new artillery systems will protect Greece's northeastern borders with Turkey and its islands in the Aegean, a second official said.

Greece and Turkey, NATO allies, have long been at odds over issues including where their continental shelves start and end, energy resources, flights over the Aegean, and the ethnically partitioned island of Cyprus.

($1 = 0.9535 euros)

Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas

Related

Hamas

Israel sets Hamas disarmament as key to ending Gaza war

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Saturday that the war in Gaza will not come to a final end until Hamas is disarmed and the Palestinian territory is fully demilitarized , a key requirement of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement currently under discussion.

Lebanon

President Aoun breaks taboo, calls for negotiations with Israel

As world leaders gathered in Sharm el-Sheikh for a "Peace Summit" aiming to declare an end to the Gaza war, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun made a landmark statement: negotiations with Israel are necessary as part of a broader effort to resolve regional crises.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Mena banner 4

To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.

  • Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.