dpa
(TNS)

Athens — Israel has signed a contract to erect a new, multi-layered air-defence system for Greece based on missiles made by Israeli companies, the Israeli Defence Ministry reported on Monday.

The "Achilles Shield" project is expected to cost around €3 billion ($3.5 billion). Greek public broadcaster ERTNews also reported on the agreement. According to the reports, the system is to be implemented within 35 months.

"This is the largest arms export agreement in the history of Israeli-Greek relations and one of the largest in the history of the State of Israel," the Israeli ministry said in a statement.

Achilles Shield is intended to connect existing Greek systems such as Patriot and unmanned aircraft with Israeli systems covering different ranges, including Spyder and David's Sling missiles made by Rafael, and Barak MX made by Israel Aerospace.

The aim is to create a unified network capable of defending against aircraft, drones, missiles and ballistic projectiles. Central software will use artificial intelligence to analyse data and recommend the most appropriate system for each situation, according to the plans.

According to Greek reports, one of Athens' key demands was access to the software's source code, so that the Greek military would have influence over the components and further development.

Greece wants to avoid having to regularly deploy expensive fighter aircraft against relatively inexpensive drones, and the new integrated system is intended to select the most effective and efficient means of defence.

Greece and Israel have significantly expanded military cooperation in recent years, with both countries having tense relationships with Turkey.

With the new package of measures, the Greek government is continuing its multi-year effort to comprehensively modernize the armed forces.

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