Greek Navy to switch frigates in Red Sea
After a three-month deployment to the Red Sea as part of the EU’s Aspides naval mission to protect commercial ships from attacks by Houthi forces in Yemen, the Greek frigate Hydra is expected to pass through the Suez Canal on Monday.
During its mission, the frigate downed a drone and forced three other unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to change course under fire.
Military sources told Kathimerini that the lessons learned during the deployment will prove valuable in naval training.
The Hydra is expected to remain for approximately 24 hours on the Egyptian coast, most likely Port Said, for refueling, before departing for Salamina naval base, where it is expected to dock on Wednesday.
Crew will then begin transferring communication equipment from the Hydra to another frigate, the Psara, which will set sail for the Red Sea immediately after the European elections in its place.
As Kathimerini has already reported, the Psara is equipped with a new, even more powerful anti-drone system than the one on the Hydra.
Meanwhile, it has been announced that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will visit the shipyards in Lorient, in Brittany, where three Belharra-class frigates are being built for the Greek Navy, on Thursday.
Mitsotakis will visit France at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.
Mitsotakis, who will be accompanied by Defense Minister Nikos Dendias and National Security Adviser Thanos Dokos, is expected to receive a tour of the Kimon frigate.
