Greek corvettes to follow frigates

A corvette programme for the Hellenic Navy is to follow the frigate programme already agreed, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced to the Greek Parliament on 7 October.

With the parliament approving the Greek–French Strategic Defence Co-operation Agreement, Mitsotakis said officially for the first time that a corvette programme will be announced very soon.

Later in the same session Defence Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos gave some additional details on the mid-term procurement plan of the Hellenic Armed Forces. He said that, according to the new force structure plan for the years 2020–25, the requirements are for 48 new-generation fighters and 12 or 13 major surface vessels, namely frigates and corvettes.

The budget for the Hellenic Navy, said the minister, is EUR5 billion (USD5.8 billion), of which EUR2.9 billion has been allocated to the frigate programme, allowing a significant amount for new corvettes. Panagiotopoulos added he is sure that “some of these ships, if not all of them, will be built in a Greek shipyard”.