Although Greece and Turkey are nominally allies within NATO, their mutual distrust is well-known—and Athens has invested heavily in anti-drone countermeasures to address the potential threat.
Greece’s Defense Minister Nikos Dendias has declared that Turkey has built more than one million drones, which are now loaded in its (still growing) arsenal. Greek media reports that Turkey has fashioned itself into a drone-manufacturing dynamo, exporting large numbers of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to multiple countries. From Ukraine to Pakistan, these conflict zones have been defined by massive numbers of Turkish-made, increasingly advanced UAVs.
The reason that this is newsworthy, though, is because the Greek defense minister is the one saying it.
Greece Is Worried About Turkey’s Rising Drone Power
Greece and Turkey have been longtime regional rivals, despite the two being prominent members of the NATO alliance. Territorial disputes have defined their patchy relationship, most recently over control of natural gas deposits in the Aegean Sea. In fact, there have been multiple reports of violations of Greek airspace by Turkey’s large fleet of UAVs.
In response, the Greeks have been investing heavily into their own military modernization. From purchasing new warships and warplanes to building their own drone systems as well as counter-drone systems.
The Turks, however, are lightyears ahead of the Greeks in terms of their military expansion and modernization program. Indeed, it looks as though the Greeks are going to rely on NATO’s broader anti-Turkish sentiments to back their moves against an increasingly assertive Turkey.
Greece Has Made Big Investments in Anti-Drone Warfare
Among some of the counter drone systems that Greece has developed are the CENTAUR counter drone system which is a long-range electronic warfare and counter-drone system. It is developed by Greece’s Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI).
Allegedly, the CENTAUR system has detection ranges of up to around 150 kilometers, with target engagement and neutralization at around 25 kilometers. In fact, the weapon has already been integrated aboard Greek naval ships, such as Greece’s MEKO-class frigates, as part of Athens’ defense modernization program.
CENTAUR gives Greece a relatively high-end, non-kinetic layer of defense against more capable UAVs and larger unmanned systems. In other words, it will be very effective against Greece’s challengers in Turkey in contested regions, like the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
Another system is AKMON SA’s MEDUSA, which is tailored for protecting critical infrastructure, like airports, and military sites mostly against smaller drones. The MEDUSA uses passive detection—meaning it doesn’t broadcast signals, which makes it harder for countermeasures to detect. MEDUSA can jam GNSS/control/datalinks and operates in frequency bands around 400 MHz-6000 MHz, according to Army Recognition.
MEDUSA can be set up in around 30 minutes for temporary protection during events or for high-security use. Smaller drones and swarming threats are a growing challenge. Systems like MEDUSA provide a localized defense for Greek infrastructure and military facilities in contested regions.
Then there’s IPERION and Telemachus, both of which are developed by Greece’s HAI defense contractor. These are designed to respond to threats from lighter drones and swarms with a 360-degree coverage. IPERION has a high degree of mobility owing to its light weight.
Telemachus, also developed by HAI, is a lower-level, shorter-range counter drone system that can easily be deployed to forward bases, contested islands, and for rapid reaction missions. These systems help fill the small drone gap, which larger systems usually miss.
Understanding Greece’s Island Defense Strategy
Because Greece’s broader defense modernization plan emphasizes counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) among other capabilities, the systems referenced above are key for that effort in the face of what Athens perceives as a growing Turkish drone threat to their sovereignty.
Further, these systems are developed domestically as part of a wider push (much as what Turkey is doing) for greater indigenization. Athens does not want to rely upon imports for important defensive systems.
Many Greek islands, border areas and border areas are woefully underdefended against—and exposed to—Turkish drone threats. Therefore, these C-UAS capabilities being developed by Greece are important for enhancing the country’s layered air/anti-drone defenses.
Of course, these systems are still being developed and are not operational everywhere. But counter drone operations are inherently challenging. Small drones are hard to detect due to their low radar signature. They come in multiple types and employ a wide variety of frequencies, and swarms of them can significantly complicate defenses.
Thus, a layered approach is vital.
The non-kinetic jamming and disruption path many of these systems rely upon is far cheaper than missiles and interceptors for many of the drone threats from nearby Turkey. And systems like HAI’s CENTAUR mentioned above emphasize that.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert is a senior national security editor at The National Interest. Recently, Weichert became the host of The National Security Hour on America Outloud News and iHeartRadio, where he discusses national security policy every Wednesday at 8pm Eastern. He is also a contributor at Popular Mechanics and has consulted regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including The Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, and the Asia Times. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Shutterstock / Spiffy Digital Creative.
