Greece plans to deploy an anti-drone system similar to the Israeli Iron Dome, Defense Minister Nikos Dendias revealed on Wednesday.
Speaking on SKAI TV Dendias said that the “plan is under way.”
He added that by observing the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, it was determined Greece needs anti-aircraft and anti-drone coverage. “It won’t happen tomorrow, but it will happen. There is a significant expenditure foreseen for this purpose,” he added.
As he noted, “Turkey has taken steps to produce drones, but Greece did not foresee [until now] that this gap in the defense capabilities should be bridged.”
Turkey’s Bayraktar drone concerns Greece
As drones change the face of modern warfare, their price sinks and their technological sophistication races ahead, more and more buyers are knocking on Turkey’s door. Its flagship Bayraktar TB2 drone has proven effective on battlefields in Ukraine, Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh and elsewhere. It generally costs less or performs better than rival models.
Like artificial intelligence, drone technology is developing by leaps and bounds, outpacing faltering attempts to regulate it. Drones can fire missiles, bombs, and guided rockets. Smaller ones can be used as weapons themselves, programmed to explode upon striking a target in a one-off “suicide” or “kamikaze” mission.
Israel’s anti-drone system a blueprint for Greece?
An incoming attack by more than 300 Iranian drones and ballistic missiles was the latest challenge to Israel’s air defense system, which already has been working overtime to cope with incoming rocket, drone, and missile attacks throughout the six-month war against Hamas.
Israel’s defense system with assistance from the US and Britain is credited with preventing serious damage or casualties.
The Iron Dome is a central component of Israel’s air defense system. Developed by Israel with US backing, it specializes in shooting down short-range rockets. It has intercepted thousands of rockets since it was activated early last decade, including thousands of interceptions during the current war against Hamas and Hezbollah.
Israel says it has a success rate of over 90 percent.
The Arrow is another system developed with the US and is designed to intercept long-range missiles, including the types of ballistic missiles Iran said it launched on Saturday. The Arrow, which operates outside the atmosphere, has been used in the current war to intercept long-range missiles launched by Houthi militants in Yemen.
Israel is likewise developing a new system to intercept incoming threats with laser technology. The government has said this system will be a game changer because it is much cheaper to operate than existing systems.
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