The relevant parliamentary committee approved the purchase of three Brazilian-built Embraer C-390 military transport aircraft and several types of unmanned aircraft from the United States and Israel on Thursday, according to sources cited by Reuters.
The total cost of the equipment, including ten British-built VICTA mini-submarines for special operations, is estimated at €1 billion to €1.2 billion, or $1.15 billion to $1.38 billion.
“Half the amount will go towards purchasing and supporting the C-390s,” one source said.
The remaining spending will cover a Heron unmanned aircraft system from Israel, ten V-BATs from the United States and upgrades to four German-built MEKO-200 frigates.
Greece currently operates older C-130 and C-27 transport aircraft. It plans to invest around €28 billion by 2036 in modernising its armed forces.
The effort follows the country's financial crisis of 2009–2018 and forms part of its attempt to maintain a balance of power with Turkey.
The purchases also require approval by the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence, Greece's highest governmental body for foreign-policy and defence matters. The report said approval was considered assured.
