Everything You Need to Know About Achilles Shield: The Largest Defense Deal Between Israel and Greece
The Israeli and Greek defense ministries have signed the massive “Achilles Shield” agreement, under which Israel will establish a multilayered air-defense system in Greece.
The deal, announced on Monday, includes several Israeli systems, including the David’s Sling and SPYDER systems produced by Rafael, as well as the Barak MX system developed by Israel Aerospace Industries.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense described the agreement as the largest deal in the history of Israeli-Greek relations and one of the largest contracts ever concluded by the State of Israel.
It said: “The director general of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, Major General (res.) Amir Baram, and the head of the Greek Directorate-General for Defense Investments and Armaments, Yannis Bouras, today, Monday, signed a major defense agreement worth approximately €3 billion, or more than 10 billion shekels. Under the agreement, the State of Israel will establish a comprehensive, multilayered air-defense system for Greece based entirely on Israeli-made architectures and systems, as well as on the extensive operational experience acquired by Israel’s defense establishment during the war.”
It added: “The signing ceremony was held at the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv in the presence of several officials.”
It continued: “This program, known in Greece as ‘Achilles Shield,’ is one of the largest security agreements in the country’s history. It is the first time that the Ministry of Defense has provided an integrated defense system against a wide range of threats, ranging from ballistic missiles and aerial attacks to hostile drones.”
The agreement includes:
- The David’s Sling system, developed by the Israeli military’s Homa Directorate in cooperation with Rafael, which serves as the system’s prime developer.
- The Barak MX system, produced by Israel Aerospace Industries.
- The SPYDER system, produced by Rafael.
- MMR multifunctional air-control radars manufactured by ELTA, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries.
The ministry said: “A new national command-and-control system will be developed to centralize all air-defense capabilities under the supervision of Rafael.”
The Israeli Ministry of Defense added: “In addition, during the meeting, a supplementary agreement worth €26 million, approximately 92 million Israeli shekels, was signed for the sale of Rafael’s Drone Dome systems to protect strategic sites against drones and strengthen existing defenses.”
It stated: “As part of the ongoing dialogue and joint governmental activities between the Israeli and Greek ministries responsible for defense and security, Israel will strengthen security-industrial cooperation, including the transfer of knowledge and technology to Greece’s domestic defense industry. This project represents another achievement in security cooperation between Israel and Greece, Israel’s principal strategic partner in the Eastern Mediterranean. Greece’s selection of Israeli technology as a central pillar of its largest air-capability development program of the past decade reflects the depth of mutual trust between the two countries.”
Details of the system
The agreement includes three integrated layers of defense alongside Greece’s existing Patriot batteries.
The upper layer, for long-range and ballistic missile defense: David’s Sling. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems developed this system to intercept ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and heavy missiles. It will serve as Greece’s primary line of defense against long-range strategic threats.
Multidomain regional defense: Barak MX. This flexible system, produced by Israel Aerospace Industries, is capable of engaging fighter aircraft, helicopters, drones, and missiles at different altitudes and ranges. It will protect areas surrounding bases and other strategic sites. The agreement also includes missile engines produced by the Israeli company Tomer.
Defense against drone threats: SPYDER. Developed by Rafael, this fast and mobile system is designed to intercept low-flying drones. Its batteries will be deployed at strategic locations and across various Greek islands to respond rapidly to emerging threats.
What does the agreement mean?
Israel Hayom wrote: “Greece is moving toward abandoning its older Russian and European systems and entrusting the defense of its airspace, from Athens to the famous tourist islands of the Aegean Sea, to three advanced Israeli missile-defense systems.”
It added: “Anyone following the current threat landscape understands that this agreement goes beyond being merely a military procurement deal. It represents a reassessment of the regional balance of power.”
The newspaper continued: “The diplomatic and strategic significance of this agreement extends beyond the Mediterranean. In recent years, a [regional] alliance has begun to take shape… seeking to establish dominance across both the Middle East and the Mediterranean basin as a counterweight to the axis confronting Israel and as a means of limiting Western and Israeli influence in the region.”
It added: “This emerging alliance seeks to expand its influence as a counterweight… while the military expansion of these countries contributes to the creation of a formidable regional power bloc.”
It concluded that “against this axis, the close operational and technological cooperation between Israel and Greece constitutes an effective counterbalance. Together with Cyprus, the third side of this triangle, it creates an important barrier.”
A response to Turkey?
The newspaper points out that “for Greece, the agreement represents a direct response and an effective deterrent to the regional ambitions of Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.”
It said: “Although both countries are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Greece faces a persistent threat from Turkey, which disputes Greek sovereignty and lays claim to a number of islands.”
It added: “Turkey possesses an arsenal of domestically produced ballistic missiles, including the Tayfun missile, as well as a large fleet of Bayraktar attack drones, posing a threat to Greek sovereignty over the islands.”
It continued: “The ‘Achilles Shield’ operation sends a clear message to Ankara: the skies over the Aegean have become far less penetrable than Turkey may have assumed.”
What does it mean for Israel?
The newspaper stated: “For Israel, the diplomatic and economic value is enormous. A NATO member is choosing to replace Russian systems such as the S-300 and Tor-M1 with Israeli-made defense technology, strengthening Israel’s position as a technological superpower at a time when it is facing intense diplomatic pressure.”
It said: “The ‘Achilles Shield’ operation is not an isolated development, but another link in a series of major deals that are overturning established assumptions. In recent years, an interesting, almost hypocritical, contradiction has emerged in Europe’s relationship with Israel. While prominent voices in political, academic, and cultural circles condemn Israel, encourage boycotts, and call for Europe to distance itself from Jerusalem, existential interests prevail when security is at stake. European leaders recognize that in the new geopolitical reality, Israeli technology can make the difference between preserving sovereignty and losing it.”
It added that this trend had already been reflected in two landmark agreements that preceded the Greek deal:
German Arrow 3 project: This historic agreement, initially valued at approximately $3.5 billion when it was approved in principle, enabled Berlin to acquire Israel Aerospace Industries’ exo-atmospheric missile-interception system. Germany subsequently made Israel’s Arrow system a central component of the European Sky Shield Initiative, designed to counter the Russian threat.
Finnish David’s Sling: After joining NATO and facing a tense 1,300-kilometer (808-mile) border with Russia, Helsinki selected Rafael’s David’s Sling system in a deal worth approximately €317 million to defend its airspace against ballistic and advanced cruise missiles.
According to the newspaper, “the reality shows that Israel’s defense-export market has not merely survived the damage; it is experiencing unprecedented growth. Israel’s proven combat experience in confronting complex threats on multiple fronts during a war lasting nearly three years has transformed the Israeli defense industry into a strategic necessity that Europe increasingly values and simply cannot ignore.”
