S-300 missile system © Pavel Lisitsyn / Sputnik
Athens could transfer S-300PMU-1 long-range air-defense systems to Ukraine if the United States deploys MIM-104 Patriot air-defense systems on Crete island instead, Greece’s Minister of National Defense, Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, said on December 17.
The S-300PMU-1 is an old upgrade of the Soviet S-300 system. Greece acquired the system after the 1997-1998 Cyprus Missile Crisis. The Hellenic Air Force (HAF) maintains a regiment made up of four S-300PMU-1 systems with eight fire units and 32 launchers on Crete. The S-300PMU-1 can fire the 48N6 family of missiles, which has a range of up to 195 kilometers. Greek received at least 175 missiles from Russia along with its systems.
“If the United States installs a Patriot system on the island [Crete] and after it is integrated – connected to the national air defense system, then the S-300 can be removed. The same procedure applies to any other Russian-made air defense system that they may want to send to Ukraine” Pronews.gr quoted Panagiotopoulos as saying during a meeting at the Hellenic Ministry of National Defence.
The minister said that Greece can also send to Ukraine with other air-defense systems which were bought from Russia in the 1990s, like the short-range Tor-M1 and Osa-AKM.
The HAF operates 4 Tor-M1 systems with 16 missile launchers, while the Hellenic Army (HA) operates 21 systems with 84 launchers. The Tor-M1 has a range of 12 kilometers and is mainly used to protect S-300PMU-1 systems. Meanwhile, the Osa-AKM has a firing range of 15 kilometers. The HA operates 39 Osa-AKM systems with at least 120 launchers.
Panagiotopoulos was not talking about buying Patriot systems, but rather about deploying them by the U.S. This means that the systems will be controlled and operated by Americans troops.
The minister’s remarks are in contrast with a recent statement by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who said that Greece is not planning to supply its S-300PMU-1 systems or any other weapons that it needs for its own defense to Ukriane.
Ukraine received several air-defense systems from its Western allies after the start of the Russian special military operation. In April, Slovakia sent its only S-300PMU long-range air-defense system to Ukraine. However, it was quickly targeted by the Russian military.
Greece has already supplied Ukraine with several weapons, including dozens of infantry fighting vehicles and hundreds of anti-tank rockets. However, the decision to supply more advanced weapons like the S-300PMU-1 systems may not be that easy, especially considering the current tensions with Turkey over the decades-long Aegean dispute.
