Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has drastically changed European views on military spending. The most recent example of this is Greece. The defense budget is significantly increased, including “Iron Dome”.
The budget approved on Sunday provides for spending of 6.1 billion euros for next year – almost twice as much as in 2019 (3.5 billion euros). In addition to investments in fighter jets, frigates, submarines and intelligent weapons, a protective shield must also be built to defend against drones and missiles.
In his speech during the budget debate, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis referred to a necessary “radical restructuring” of the armed forces to make them more efficient. Defense Minister Nikos Dendias promised: The army is entering a new era with “smart weapon systems and an anti-drone dome.”
Greece is accelerating the process
Since the Russian attack on Ukraine, Athens has been calling for a common European air defense system against enemy aircraft, missiles and drones. Greece is one of 21 countries participating in the European Sky Shield air defense system. But Athens’ progress is too slow.
The Greek ‘Iron Dome’ differs from the Israeli mobile missile defense system because the threat is different, Dendias explained in a recent interview with the newspaper ‘To Vima’. While Israel must defend itself against missiles, a dome against drone attacks must be built in Greece.
Drones are much smaller than rockets, they move low and much slower. “If the radar system and the AI of the overall system are not suitable, they will not detect drones,” Dendias warned.
The largest drone manufacturer of arch enemy Türkiye
The background: Turkey has become a leading manufacturer of unmanned aerial vehicles with its Bayraktar drones. Due to the disputes with its neighboring country, Greece traditionally spends more than two percent of its GDP on armaments every year. However, Türkiye’s budget is many times higher.
The Greeks recently purchased three ultra-modern Belharra frigates and 24 Rafale fighter jets from France. The planned dome could “free the air force from the obligation of anti-aircraft defense, so that it acts as a force multiplier and not just as a defensive instrument,” Dendias said.
Source: Krone
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