The announcement of a shipbuilding program by Turkey’s Armed Forces and geopolitical challenges in the region have prompted the Greek Navy to explore the possibility of acquiring more ships.
According to a plan presented to parliament by Defense Minister Nikos Dendias, the Greek Navy aims to have a fleet of 16 main ships by 2035.
Given that the S-class frigates, some of which have been serving in Greek waters for 50 years, are nearing the end of their operational life, Greece is already working on acquiring a fourth FDI Belharra frigate and plans to modernize four MEKO-class frigates.
The Navy’s leadership appears to be considering the European Corvette Program (MMPC) and the American Constellation-class frigates. However, both programs are still in their early stages and are not expected to enter production until at least the beginning of the next decade.
The Turkish Navy recently announced the start of construction for three warships: a submarine, an aircraft carrier, and a destroyer.
Greece and Turkey are NATO allies but have been disputing a wide range of issues for decades. However, at the end of the year before last, Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis and Turkish President Erdogan signed the Athens Declaration on normalizing bilateral relations. The issue of maritime boundary delimitation remains unresolved between the two nations.
