Israel and Greece sign €3 billion 'Achilles Shield' air-defense deal

Israel agreed to build a multilayered air-defense network for Greece in a new €3 billion defense deal published on Monday.

“This is the largest defense export deal in the history of Israel-Greece relations, and one of the largest in the history of the State of Israel,” Israel’s Defense Ministry wrote in a statement.

The “Achilles Shield” deal represents the largest defense export agreement in the history of relations between the two countries, combining David’s Sling, BARAK MX and SPYDER interceptors with Israeli-made radars and a national command system designed to counter ballistic missiles, aircraft and drones.

Greece put the deal’s total value at €3.035 billion, adding that 19 Greek companies are already involved, accounting for more than €750 million of the program, with plans to build a domestic production base capable of exporting equipment. Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said Greece would become “the first country in the European Union to adopt a similar system.”

The deal caps a fast-deepening security partnership between the two countries.

In January, Greece and Israel agreed to expand cooperation on drone and underwater-vehicle swarms, cyber threats, military exercises and defense technology. The push feeds into Greece’s “Agenda 2030,” a sweeping military overhaul aimed at modernizing the armed forces and building more weapons at home.

Athens is going further than some other European buyers of Israeli air defenses. Germany bought the Arrow 3 system in 2023 and Finland acquired David’s Sling in 2024. Greece says it will be the first EU country to stitch several Israeli platforms together into a single national shield against ballistic missiles, aircraft and drones.