Israeli defence giant Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has publicly celebrated its central role in Greece’s new €3 billion “Achilles Shield” air-defence programme, releasing a video highlighting the systems it will provide as part of the landmark agreement between Greece and Israel.
“Rafael is on its way to protect the skies of Greece,” the company said in a post on X, adding that it was taking a “central role” in what it described as the largest defence export deal between the Israeli Ministry of Defense and Greece.
The video specifically highlights three Rafael contributions to the Greek programme: David’s Sling, SPYDER and a new national command-and-control system.
David’s Sling will provide one of the higher-end layers of Greece’s new air-defence architecture, designed to counter ballistic missiles and other advanced aerial threats. The system was developed by Israel’s Missile Defense Organization with Rafael as prime developer and was used by Israel to intercept Iranian missiles during this year’s conflict. Greece will become only the second international customer for David’s Sling, after Finland.
Rafael’s SPYDER system will provide another layer of protection against aerial threats. The mobile system uses the company’s Python and Derby interceptor families and can engage aircraft, cruise missiles, drones and other threats at shorter ranges. Its architecture is designed to operate with external radars and other components, making it suitable for integration into a wider national air-defence network.
But perhaps the most strategically significant Rafael contribution is less visible: a new national command-and-control system intended to integrate Greece’s different air-defence capabilities into a unified operational picture.
The wider Achilles Shield architecture will also include Israel Aerospace Industries’ BARAK MX, as well as MMR multi-mission radars manufactured by IAI subsidiary ELTA. The aim is to link sensors, command systems and interceptors into a multi-layered network capable of responding to ballistic missiles, aircraft, cruise missiles and drones.
A separate €26 million agreement signed alongside the main deal will provide Greece with Rafael’s Drone Domecounter-drone systems to protect strategic sites and reinforce existing anti-UAV defences. Drone Dome is therefore part of the broader Rafael package associated with the new Greek air-defence build-up, although it is covered by a separate contract rather than the core €3 billion agreement.
The scale of the programme is significant for both countries. Israel’s Defence Ministry has described the agreement as the largest defence export deal in the history of Israel-Greece relations and one of the largest in Israel’s history. It also marks the first time Israel will provide another country with a complete, integrated air-defence architecture covering threats ranging from ballistic missiles to drones.
For Athens, the agreement forms part of a much broader military modernisation programme. Greece is expected to spend around €28 billion through 2036 on defence, including the Achilles Shield, F-35 fighter jets and new naval capabilities. The country spends close to 3.5% of GDP on defence, with its long-running strategic rivalry with neighbouring Turkey a major factor behind its military planning.
The timing also carries wider geopolitical significance.
Greece and Turkey remain NATO allies but have longstanding disputes over maritime boundaries, airspace and territorial issues in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean. At the same time, relations between Israel and Turkey have deteriorated sharply, adding another layer to the strategic environment in which Athens and Jerusalem are deepening their defence cooperation.
Neither Greece nor Israel explicitly described Achilles Shield as a system aimed at Turkey. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz instead referred to the two countries sharing “common strategic interests” and facing regional challenges, while Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said modern warfare had made traditional defence doctrines “completely unrealistic.”
The result is a defence partnership that goes beyond the purchase of individual weapons.
With David’s Sling and SPYDER providing Rafael’s missile-interception layers, BARAK MX and ELTA radars supplied by IAI adding further capabilities, and Rafael developing the national command-and-control system, Greece is effectively building a new integrated air-defence network around Israeli technology.
