These are the days when an armaments program ceases to be a plan and becomes a commitment. Greece and Israel signed the final signature in Tel Aviv on the interstate agreement for the creation of the Hellenic Dome , officially paving the way for the implementation of one of the largest and most ambitious programs of recent years.
The contracts were signed, on the Greek side, by the General Directorate of Defense Armaments and Investments of the Ministry of National Defense headed by Major General Ioannis Bouras and, on the Israeli side, by SIBAT and MAFAT , the body responsible for research and development of defense technologies. After almost three years of negotiations, technical discussions and successive approvals, the agreement is now entering the implementation phase, with the Israeli side proceeding with orders to IAI , Rafael and ELTA Systems .
The “Achilles Shield” , worth over 3 billion euros , is not only about the procurement of anti-aircraft and anti-ballistic systems. It is also a bet on the reorganization of the Greek air defense and the domestic defense industry , as at least 25% of the program has been agreed to have a Greek footprint.
The Dome is a central part of the “Agenda 2030” reform, the necessity of which Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias has been clear. “We are in an era of radical change. Modern conflicts have already altered the parameters of military defense and deterrence,” he said, noting that technology, ballistic missiles, satellite communications, unmanned systems, cyber threats and hybrid forms of warfare have rendered pre-existing defense doctrines untenable. “Greece is the first country in the European Union to adopt such a system. Rapid change of everything is the necessary condition for national survival in the face of revisionism and the ever-expanding threat,” he added.
What sets the program apart is its philosophy. The goal is not to acquire individual weapons but to create an integrated, multi-level system , breaking with the fragmented markets that have characterized defense planning for years. The new architecture aspires to become the center of gravity of the Armed Forces’ interdisciplinary nature , with state-of-the-art weapons systems, from the F-35 and upgraded F-16 Viper to the FDI Belharra frigates and drones, operating as communicating vessels within a single network-centric environment.
The economic dimension is equally important. With an advance payment estimated at around 600 million euros , this is the first major armament project after the Belharra frigates and the Rafale in which a pure Greek participation has been secured. Around 700 million euros are expected to return to the Greek economy through projects, co-production , transfer of know-how and development of technological capabilities. After the ten-year crisis and many years of restructuring efforts, the Greek defense industry is returning to the spotlight.
The path to the signatures started early. One of Nikos Dendias’ first visits as Minister of National Defense was to Israel, with the aim of expanding defense industrial cooperation and creating an ecosystem in Greece similar to the Israeli one, with the participation of the Armed Forces, ministries, research institutions and companies. In 2024, the country had already expressed interest in Israeli anti-aircraft and anti-ballistic systems, but the developments in Gaza temporarily froze the discussions.
The breakthrough came at the end of 2025. On December 15, 2025 , negotiations with SIBAT officially began, with the choice of the G2G intergovernmental agreement being considered crucial for accelerating the procedures. At the same time, three negotiating teams were discussing the technical and operational details with Rafael, IAI and ELTA, while the General Directorate of Defense and Security (GDDIAE) sent the official Request For Proposal . Options such as the LORA ballistic missile were also on the table, for which developments are expected.
In June , the crucial industrial “lock-in” took place, with Greek participation agreed at least at 25%, both in production projects and in the transfer of know-how. The initial planning involves EAS , EAB , Metlen , Miltech , Scytalys , Akmon , Salamis Shipyards and GEK TERNA , with the list expected to expand. On July 23, 2026, the KYSEA gave the green light, while in early August, approval came from the Israeli Ministerial Committee for Exports, the last substantial obstacle.
In terms of its composition, the Hellenic Dome will not be a weapons system but a network of means that operate as a single unit. At its core are three Israeli systems. IAI’s BARAK MX will constitute the main body of the air defense, with three types of interceptors, MRAD , LRAD and ER , with ranges of approximately 35, 70 and 150 kilometers respectively. At the sensor level, there will be ELTA’s EL/M-2084 MMR mobile radars, which will strengthen the Air Force’s Air Control System. The third level will consist of Rafael’s SPYDER , while for long-range ballistic missiles, the inclusion of David’s Sling is foreseen, which constitutes the upper layer of protection.
Above all this will be the “brain” of the Dome, the unified Command and Control System . It will connect sensors and interceptors, gather operational data, evaluate and prioritize threats, and select the appropriate means of response.
Herein lies the real stakes. The “Achilles Shield” is not designed as a purchase of Israeli weapons, but as an attempt to create in Greece a significant part of the system’s own architecture. Thus, when in 35 months Tholos should be fully operational, the question will not be so much about missiles or radars. It will be about whether the country has managed to acquire a unified network-centric air defense system and, at the same time, an industrial base capable of not only maintaining it, but also participating in its next generation.
