Sling David in the face? New details on the air defense deal with Greece

From the land border with Turkey, through the entire Aegean Sea to Crete – with two systems that Israel does not operate on its own: new details published in the Greek media shed light on the major air defense deal that is under negotiation between Israel and Greece.

According to the Greek “Anoplus”, the Greek General Staff forwarded the final list of the systems in which they are interested for the defense against aircraft, missiles and UAVs to Civet, the defense export division of the Israeli Ministry of Defense. The same deployment is intended to start in Evros, the border district with Turkey, pass through the Aegean islands, and end in Crete – the southern island.

The “New Money” website reports that the request includes price offers for radar and air defense systems of the Barak MX model of the Aerospace Industry and Rafael’s Spyder. This means that on the one hand the David slingshot system that has already been sold to Finland is expected to remain out of the deal, and on the other hand – the Greeks are interested in purchasing two Systems sold by Israeli companies but not used by the Israeli security system.

It is reported on the “New Money” website that the request includes price offers for radar and air defense systems of the Barak MX model of the Aerospace Industry and Rafael’s Spyder. This means that the Greeks are interested in purchasing two systems that are sold by Israeli companies, but the Israeli defense establishment does not use them. On the other hand , the David sling system that was already sold to Finland does not appear there – but Greece wants a three-layer air defense system and therefore it is expected to be included in the deal.

Barak MX system

The Barak MX system supports various radars and launchers for cover against fighter jets, helicopters, UAVs, cruise missiles, surface-to-air missiles and surface-to-surface missiles. The system is based on a smart and operationally proven control center, which allows the integration of additional interceptor missiles: the Barak MRAD short-range interceptor is launched vertically at high speed, adapted to deal with threats at a range of up to 35 km and includes a radar homing warhead with only one pulse engine; The medium-range LRAD lightning interceptor is launched vertically at high speed, is adapted to deal with threats at a range of up to 70 km and includes a radar homing warhead with a two-pulse engine; And the Barak ER long-range interceptor is launched vertically and includes an accelerator engine, a two-pulse rocket engine and an advanced radar homing warhead. Increasing the Barak ER interception range is done by adding a rocket booster and adjusting the communications and radar capabilities to a range of 150 km.

All the engines for the various interceptors are produced by the government company Tomer, which is considered a source of national knowledge in the field. The only model in use in the Israeli air defense system is the LRAD, which was used in an experiment in August. The LRAD is being used by the Sa’ar 6 ships, and as part of the same experiment launched from Achi Atzuma. During the experiment, a precision rocket was fired at a target that resembled a “strategic asset at sea” – which apparently refers to a gas rig, since the Sa’ar 6 ships were uniquely designed to protect the rigs of Israel. The Barak MX system of the aerospace industry has been sold to a number of countries in the world, one of the most prominent of which is Azerbaijan. which purchased it in November last year for 1.2 billion dollars.

Spider system: gaining interest from more customers

The Israeli company presented the Rafale Spider system to the High Command of the Greek Air Force in April. The system, which is also gaining interest from other customers such as Kenya, is already in use by several countries – including the Czech Republic. Spider is a defense system that provides air defense solutions at different ranges and against a variety of air threats, including drones, airplanes, helicopters and short-range ballistic missiles.

The system intercepts the threats using two families of interceptors manufactured by Rafael – PYTHON and Derby. A few months ago, Rafael introduced a new configuration for the Spider system – the All in One configuration – which offers a complete air defense system that includes: an integral radar, a dedicated electro-optical payload, an advanced command and control system and Python and Derby interceptors, all installed on one vehicle Last January, Rafael completed, in cooperation with the Defense Ministry’s Administration for Weapons and Technological Infrastructure Development, A successful experiment in the Spider system in the All in One configuration.

This configuration is a solution for optimal air defense for point defense or as air defense against maneuvering forces; This, as part of a spider battery or in an independent deployment and operated by a minimal team of operators. In an experiment conducted in January in Israel, several scenarios simulating existing and future threats were tested, during which the Spider system, in its new configuration, intercepted a UAV in a challenging operational scenario with a direct and accurate hit.

The ambition: a signing will take place already in January

The Anopoulos website reports that the Greek plan is that the Barak MX will be deployed throughout mainland Greece with all its ranges: MRAD, LRAD and ER. At the same time, they will take advantage of the Spider’s versatility in favor of deploying batteries in the islands of the Aegean Sea up to Crete. The current timeframe includes an Israeli response that is expected to be received by the end of the month, after which they will proceed to final negotiations for a deal estimated at approximately 2 billion euros. The parties’ ambition is for a signature to take place as early as this January.

The negotiations are expected to deal with the total cost, the distribution of supplies, the commitment of the companies to supply interceptors on demand, as well as the involvement of the Greek companies in the production. In Greece, they aim for 30% of the production of the Barak MX systems within the framework of the agreement to be carried out on Greek soil, and will help drive the local defense industry which is very small In relation to that of the biggest threat – Turkey.