Greece is close to buying 40 PULS multiple rocket launchers from Elbit Systems, in a deal that will amount to €500-700 million, the website of Greek newspaper “Kathimerini” reports. The purchase is intended to deter Turkey in the Evros region, which borders Turkey, and in the islands in the Aegean Sea.
Greek Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias, who has had a close relationship with Israeli governments for several years, is expected to present a large procurement program in February that will be spread over the next twelve years. As early as this year, the Greek government seeks to start strengthening the country’s artillery capabilities, and is expected to present a plan to the relevant parliamentary committee in the current quarter.
A senior military source who spoke to Kathimerini said that Greece aimed to develop artillery capabilities of up to a range of 300 kilometers. He said that the selection process was at an advanced stage, and that Elbit’s PULS was the leading candidate. The system can launch unguided rockets, precision munitions, and missiles at various ranges. The launcher is fully adaptable to existing platforms, whether wheeled or tracked, which considerably reduces the cost of maintenance and training.
The Greek military plans to buy six types of ammunition for the European version of the PULS launcher (Euro PULS), which will enable it to threaten targets between 35 and 300 kilometers distant. The Greeks also seek to buy Elbit’s SkyStriker loitering munition, which can be launched from the same launcher to a range of up to 100 kilometers and can carry a warhead of 5-10 kilograms.
Turkey’s hostility to both Greece and Israel has led to closer defense cooperation between the two countries in the past few months. This is reflected in talks on creating a multi-layered aerial defense array based on Israeli systems. Greek business website NewMoney recently reported that Greece has sought price estimates for Israel Aerospace Industries’ Barak MX integrated radar and air defense system and Rafael’s SPYDER. Neither system is in use by the IDF. The David’s Sling medium to long-range air defense system, jointly developed by Rafael and US company Raytheon, which is in use in Israel and has been sold to Finland, does not appear in the report, but since Greece seeks a three-layer air defense system, it can be expected to be included in any deal.
Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on January 5, 2025.
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