It has been one year since the Special Standing Committee on Equipment Programs & Contracts of the Parliament was briefed on October 6, 2021 for the Long Range Multi-Role Anti-Tank Missile Systems Supply program, which concerns the Israeli-origin Spike NLOS. The relevant negotiations have been progressing ever since but despite the relative optimism, in reality the case encounters serious obstacles due to the Israeli side.
Specifically, 12 months later, it has been established that the achievement of a commonly accepted draft contract is impossible as the Israeli side refuses to satisfy the Request for Proposal (RfP) which reflects the operational requirements set by the Operating Entity, i.e. the GES, and she even appears intransigent! As the basis of the negotiations is the RfP, the Israelis show serious deviations in their proposals from what the Greek Army is asking for.
There are two main points of “disagreement”, in relation to what the GES has requested.
The first has to do with cost overruns in terms of the maintenance of weapon system carrier vehicles and organic UAV systems while the offered FOS package is different from the one requested by GES.
The second is related to the absolute refusal of the Israelis to entrust the maintenance of the weapons systems to companies of the Greek Defense Industry, as the Greek side has clearly requested. The latter, of course, has requested the assurance of a domestic ability to repair critical subsystems of the Spike NLOS, so that there is a reduced dependence on the manufacturer in the maintenance cycle of the weapon system.
The Greek position falls entirely within the provisions of the relevant law (4705/20) which was passed in July 2020 and which ratified the agreement of the Defense Ministries of the two countries on defense supplies and services. But even beyond the field of maintenance, while the Greek side has requested the capacity of all levels of maintenance in Greece, the Israeli proposal does not provide for such a thing.
