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Israel and Greece have signed the €3.035 billion Achilles Shield package, committing Athens to a nationwide air-defense overhaul built around three Israeli missile systems, new sensors, and an integrated command network. The agreement — signed at Israel’s Department of War headquarters in Tel Aviv — is the largest defense contract between the two countries and one of Israel’s biggest export deals on record.
Israeli Defense Ministry Director General Amir Baram signed the agreement with Greece’s Director General for Defense Investments and Armaments, Lt. Gen. Ioannis Bouras. Officials from SIBAT, Rafael, and Israel Aerospace Industries attended the signing.
A Three-Layer Shield
Achilles Shield is designed as a national network, not a collection of standalone batteries. Its upper layer uses David’s Sling — produced by Rafael with Israel’s Missile Defense Organization — against heavy rockets, tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and long-range threats. Engagement range reaches approximately 300 km. Greece intends David’s Sling to replace roles currently assigned to its Soviet-origin S-300s while operating alongside U.S.-made Patriots.
IAI’s Barak MX adds a second layer, covering aircraft, helicopters, drones, cruise missiles, and surface-to-surface threats at ranges from roughly 35 km to 150 km. It is expected to replace Greece’s aging Hawk batteries. Rafael’s SPYDER provides mobile short- and medium-range defense against aircraft, helicopters, and UAVs at engagement ranges of 15 to 40 km — partly replacing Osa-AK and Tor-M1 systems, reported Clash Report.
Radars And A New Command Layer
The three missile systems will be linked through ELTA and IAI surveillance and fire-control radars and a Rafael-led command-and-control architecture built with Greek industry participation. The C2 system uses AI-assisted software to detect, classify, and recommend interceptions across ballistic missiles, aircraft, and drones — layered over Greece’s existing inventory rather than replacing everything immediately. Patriot batteries remain integrated into the structure. The network will also interface with FDI/Belharra frigates, F-16 Vipers, and future F-35s. A separate €26 million agreement covers Rafael’s Drone Dome for point defense of strategic sites against UAVs.
Greek Industry Gets 25 Percent
Athens made domestic industrial participation a central condition of the deal. Greek companies are expected to receive more than €750 million in work across 19 firms — covering manufacturing, subsystem integration, maintenance, ammunition support, and participation in the command-and-control center. Hellenic Aerospace Industry and Intracom Defense are identified as key participants, with production facilities at Tanagra. Greece also secured source-code access to the network’s electronic systems, giving Athens direct control over future software changes rather than depending on Israeli suppliers for every modification.
Full Operational Capability By Mid-2029
Greece’s KYSEA security council approved Achilles Shield on July 23, 2026. Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said deliveries would proceed in stages, with full operational capability targeted within 35 months — placing the milestone around mid-2029. The agreement now moves the program from political approval into implementation.
Achilles Shield sits at the center of Greece’s broader Agenda 2030 military modernization program, which also includes C-390 transport aircraft, Heron UAVs, V-BAT drones, and VICTA special-operations craft. The overhaul directly addresses Greece’s mixed inventory of aging Russian-origin platforms and is explicitly framed as a response to missile and drone threats in the Eastern Mediterranean.
