Arms race with Turkey a Sisyphean trial
When, a few days ago, Turkey took delivery of its first German-built T-214 submarine with air-independent propulsion system, there was much anxious talk about how Greece is further falling behind in capability compared to its neighbor and nominal ally.
Greece has four T-214 submarines, which gave it a distinct advantage over Turkey for a decade.
But the greatest challenge for Greece’s navy concerns surface vessels. Currently, Turkey has 17 frigates; by 2030, decommissioning will reduce their number to 12. Greece has 12 frigates but, despite new acquisitions, decommissioning will reduce their numbers to nine or 10, at most, by 2030.
Greece will get three new FDI-type, French-built frigates, with the first arriving in 2025. The navy is looking for €930 million to buy a fourth frigate and a similar amount to upgrade the electronics of its MEKO frigates. Investing in new corvettes post-2030 would mean cooperating with EU countries in producing new ships. And, like the mulled participation in co-producing Constellation-class frigates with the US Navy, will depend on Greece’s ability to come up with funds.
On the other hand, Turkey produces its own corvettes, which emphasizes the superiority of its defense industry. Turkey’s Secretariat of Defense Industries just announced that defense and aerospace exports, to 171 countries, from January to August rose 9.8% year-on-year, to €3.73 billion.
