The Greek Navy plans to arm at least half of the new submarines it will acquire over the next decade with long-range cruise missiles.
Greece plans to acquire a fleet of four conventional submarines as part of a 20-year armament program approved by parliament and the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence, the country’s top defense decision-making body.
Equipping half of the submarines with cruise missiles will significantly boost the Greek Navy’s ability to strike long-range targets at sea and on land, Kathimerini reported.
The missile’s range is expected to be over 1,000 kilometers (621 miles), the Greek outlet added.
New Subs
Meanwhile, discussions to acquire the submarines have started with potential suppliers.
Apart from the strategic missiles, the submarines will have advanced sonar, a new combat system, and air-independent propulsion system.
The propulsion system will allow the vessels to remain submerged for a longer period of time without the need to surface to charge batteries.
Mid-Life Modernization
Meanwhile, the operational fleet of four Papanikolis class of submarines will be modernized to maintain some sort of similarity with the new submarines, Kathimerini wrote.
The submarines are expected to undergo a 1-billion-euro ($1.16 billion) mid-life modernization over the next five years, including upgrades to electronics, sensors, periscopes, sonar, and combat systems.
The first Papanikolis vessel was commissioned in 2006 and the last ten years later.
