Greece takes delivery of first French-made Belharra frigate

Greece on Thursday formally took delivery of the first of four new French-made Belharra frigates, part of a multi-billion defence upgrade underway since 2021 over tensions with rivals Turkey.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the frigate, named Kimon, "is one more link in a continuous effort to modernise the armed forces, both in terms of the assets they possess and in strengthening human resources, so that our country’s deterrent capability is not questioned by anyone."

The warship's welcoming ceremony outside the naval base of Salamis included a copy of an ancient Athenian trireme and the Georgios Averof, a historic cruiser that fought in the Balkan Wars.

Greek President Constantinos Tassoulas said the frigate had "extraordinary" capabilities in surface operations, anti-aircraft, anti-submarine, electronic warfare, and self-defence.

Athens has agreed to purchase four Belharra defence and intervention frigates (FDI) frigates overall, having already ordered 24 Rafale fighter jets.

Overall Greece has announced plans to spend 25 billion euros ($29 billion) through 2036 in what conservative PM Mitsotakis has called the "most drastic" defence overhaul in its modern history.

The drive, which includes a new anti-missile, anti-aircraft and anti-drone defensive dome called "Achilles's Shield", is aimed at addressing rapidly changing geopolitical challenges and fraying transatlantic ties, the government has said.

Greece has traditionally invested at least two percent of gross domestic product on its defence -- NATO's longstanding spending target until recently -- owing to decades of tension with regional rivals Turkey.

The frigate Kimon is named after a 5th century BCE Athenian admiral, who was the son of the victorious general at the Battle of Marathon, Miltiadis.