Greece Secures Artillery from Israel and Drones from the US
ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece is in advanced talks to buy 36 PULS rocket artillery systems from Israel as it pushes to modernise its armed forces, two officials said on Friday.
The discussions on the 600-700 million euro ($630 million-$735 million) deal come as the countries are in negotiations for Israel to sell Greece a 2-billion-euro anti-aircraft and missile defence dome.
Greece's government will submit the deal to a parliamentary committee for approval in the first quarter of 2025, the officials said.
Athens has drafted a multi-billion, 10-year purchasing plan that also includes acquiring up to 40 new F-35 fighter jets from the U.S. and four frigates from France.
The PULS system, made by Israel's Elbit, has a range of up to 300 km (190 miles), the officials said. The deal also includes the construction of components in Greece.
One of the officials added that on Friday, the country's top decision-making body on foreign affairs and defence matters, KYSEA, approved the procurement of US-made Switchblade drones, made by AeroVironment,
Most of the new artillery systems will protect Greece's northeastern borders with Turkey and its islands in the Aegean, a second official said.
Greece and Turkey, NATO allies, have long been at odds over issues including where their continental shelves start and end, energy resources, flights over the Aegean, and the ethnically partitioned island of Cyprus.
($1 = 0.9535 euros)
(Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas, editing by Andrew Heavens)
