Third Greek Belharra frigate hits the water

The launch of the “Formion” comes to seal the transition of the Navy into a new era, as large strike units are gradually increasing visibly and at the same time the engines of the Greek defence industry have been “warmed up”, reaching as far as the… shipyards.

It is no coincidence, after all, that the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has emphatically referred to the need for self-reliant development of the Greek defence industry, as he did recently during his visit to the Supreme Military Command of the Interior and Islands (ASDEN), on the occasion of the integration ceremony of two V-Bat unmanned (upgraded drones) systems, donated by Mr. Athanasios Laskaridis.

“It is unthinkable that a country which spends tens of billions of euros on armaments cannot develop its own domestic defense industry,” Mitsotakis reiterated, citing ELKAK “as an ecosystem of new, start-up companies in the defense sector” that will monitor in real time the technological leap of the defense industry.

According to reports, what is called for in the country’s new defence doctrine is an emphasis on “dual use” systems while following the rapidly changing nature of warfare, where unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) and anti-drone systems have become game changers.

Unified Model

In this perspective, the launch of the production of a“Greek ship“ remains active, in the logic of building a single model. The “Greek ship” could involve a flexible naval platform of about 80 metres with a modular design, allowing for the adaptation of equipment and weapon systems according to its mission, thus reducing costs – and, at the same time, recalling the “construction memory” of Greek shipyards, which have been largely dormant in recent years.

Countries such as The Netherlands, Spain and Germany already have similar naval platforms, while a critical variable for the transition of the Greek naval fleet to autonomy is the gradual acquisition of experience in the sector, as well as the re-attraction of personnel who had been directed either to the private sector or out of the field due to lack of interest.

At the same time, any revival of the possibility of building Greek “flexible ships” may in the long run also serve the demand of other Greek security forces, creating a new culture of shipbuilding, with the ultimate goal of building large strike units.

Moreover, the “dual use” culture runs vertically through the new philosophy of the Armed Forces, as the timeframe for the development of new infrastructure, as well as the dizzying evolution of defense technology, lead to the need for “smart solutions” in combination with the country’s given fiscal capabilities.