After the delivery of the frigates, the Greek and French navies will use the same advanced defense systems at sea.
The delivery of three new Belharra-class frigates to the Greek Navy, intended to strengthen the country’s defense capabilities and boost defense cooperation with France at sea, will proceed on schedule and according to schedule.
Two frigates have been launched and are currently undergoing sea trials before being handed over to Greece, while the third had its keel repaired last April.
The frigates will be ready for commissioning only in 2025 and 2026.
Parts of the ships were built at the Salamis shipyards on the Greek island of Salamis, with advanced defense technology mostly coming from France.
The frigates will be equipped with Exocet anti-surface missiles, Aster anti-aircraft missiles, RAM missiles and anti-submarine torpedoes, as well as helicopters and drones. In addition, it will have the latest radar technology, eliminating the need for 360-degree rotation.
“It’s a fixed plate, which means the radar doesn’t rotate, which means that at any moment, every second, the crew can see everywhere,” explains Naval Group’s Cyrille Brett.
The ships are billed as the first fully digital frigates.
And since the French naval group shares most of its technology with the Salamis shipyards, it is expected to usher in a new era for Greek shipbuilding.
“With this knowledge, I think Greece can turn the page and become a very important shipbuilder of defense ships,” the president of Salamis Shipyards told L’Observatoire de l’Europe.
“I think we will see new projects from the Salamis shipyard and I hope from other shipyards that will be very important for Greece, but also for Europe and international shipping,” added Dr. Goerge Koros.
Greece signed a contract for three ships with France in September 2021 at a price of around 3 billion euros. At the same time, the Franco-Greek Defense Pact was signed, including a mutual defense clause triggering support if either nation faced aggression from a third party.
Tensions with Turkey
The frigates are part of a strategy to boost Greece’s defense capabilities in the eastern Mediterranean amid ongoing tensions with Turkey, its longtime enemy.
Tensions have risen in recent years over gas exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean and waters between the two countries.
The two countries have been at odds for decades over a range of issues, including territorial rights in the Aegean Sea, maritime and air borders and minority rights.
Greece has already bought 18 French Rafale fighter jets and plans to buy six more to modernize its armed forces.