New threat situation

EU country now investing in its own “Iron Dome”

The "Iron Dome" in Israel has already saved many lives.

(Bild: AFP/Jalaa MAREY)

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has drastically changed the European view of military spending. The most recent example of this is Greece. The defense budget is being significantly increased - "Iron Dome" included.

The budget adopted on Sunday provides for spending of 6.1 billion euros for the coming year - almost twice as much as in 2019 (3.5 billion euros). In addition to investments in fighter jets, frigates, submarines and smart weapons, a protective shield is also to be set up 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 towards greater efficiency. Defense Minister Nikos Dendias promised that the military was entering a new era with "intelligent weapons systems and an anti-drone dome".

Greece speeds up the process
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Athens has been calling for a joint European air defense system against enemy aircraft, missiles and drones. Greece is one of the 21 countries participating in the European air defense system Sky Shield. But its progress is too slow for Athens.

The Greek "Iron Dome" differs from the Israeli mobile missile defense system because the threat is different, Dendias recently explained in an interview with the newspaper "To Vima". While Israel has to defend itself against missiles, a dome has to be built in Greece against drone attacks.

Drones are much smaller than missiles, 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," warned Dendias.

Arch-enemy Turkey leading drone manufacturer
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 well over two percent of its GDP on armaments every year. However, Turkey's budget is many times higher.

Most recently, the Greeks purchased three state-of-the-art Belharra frigates and 24 Rafale fighter jets from France. With the planned dome, "the air force could be freed from the obligation of air defense, so that it functions as a force multiplier and not just as an instrument of defense," said Dendias.