Information indicates that by the time of the KYSEA meeting, the Navy will have submitted its proposal for the ship that gathers the most preferences
The approval of the corvette supply program to strengthen the Greek Fleet is decided today, according to information, by the Council of Chiefs of General Staff (SGA), with Athens moving “with all its might” so that the matter is “closed” by the end of the year.
The urgent needs for new and modern bows leave no room for postponement and the Greek side, in view of the hydrocarbon research but also due to the escalating Turkish provocation, is moving at lightning speed in order to strengthen the firepower of the Navy.
The program for the purchase of Corvettes was activated on November 9 by the Supreme Naval Council and after passing through today’s SAGE, it will come as an urgent matter to the Governmental Council for Foreign Affairs and Defense (KYSEA) which will meet in December under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Information even states that by the time of the KYSEA meeting, the Navy will have submitted its proposal to the government regarding the ship that gathers the most preferences.
As the Minister of National Defense, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, recently revealed, there are two main contenders, the French from Group Naval with the GoWind Corvette and the Italians from Fincantieri with the FCX-30 Doha. The two candidates are expected to submit their final proposals by the end of the month, with Naval Staff sources stressing that both ships fully meet the operational needs of the Fleet, and the element that will decide the “winner” is the financial part but also the involvement of the Greek shipyards.
What Athens expects is a proposal with ease of repayment, with the burden of repayment leaning towards the completion of the program, since the acquisition of the FDI Belharra Frigates and 24 Rafales will significantly strain the defense budget until the end of the decade. Another important issue that needs to be regulated is the interstate agreement. Athens and Paris signed in September 2021 the Defense Agreement which, among other things, regulated the issue of the acquisition of the French Frigates and can also be used for the GoWind corvettes.
If the Greek side chooses the Italian proposal, Athens and Rome will have to sign a corresponding agreement, which will also have geopolitical benefits for Greece and possibly assistance clauses corresponding to those of the Greek-French agreement. However, Rome now seems willing to openly support the Greek positions, with the recent joint statement signed by Nikos Panagiotopoulos with his Cypriot, French and Italian counterpart for an increased naval presence in the Eastern Mediterranean in response to Turkish provocations.
According to what has become known, the amount budgeted for the procurement of Navy corvettes is 2 billion euros. The most likely scenario is that Athens proceeds with the purchase of three Corvettes for 1.5 billion, keeping the option for one more, as in the case of the FDI Belharra Frigates. This will give the Greek side the financial margin to “run” in parallel the modernization program of the four MEKO Frigates, which is expected to be a little over 500 million euros.
Athens, however, is still considering the activation of the option for the 4th FDI Belharra, the price of which will remain locked and particularly attractive until the summer, around one billion including its weapons, at a time when raw materials and industrial production costs have soared due to the energy crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
