Nearchos and Kimon to Lead Greece’s New Generation of Warships
by Kosta Papadopoulos · Greek City TimesGreece’s second FDI-class frigate, Nearchos, marks another step towards strengthening the Hellenic Navy and deepening the strategic partnership between Greece and France, Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said during the vessel’s naming ceremony in Lorient, France.
Speaking after the naming of the frigate, which follows the Kimon, Dendias described the Nearchos as a second state-of-the-art platform joining the Greek fleet.
He announced that Greece expects to receive the third frigate, Formion, before the end of 2026. All four FDI frigates, including the Themistocles, scheduled for delivery in 2028, will undergo upgrades to the Standard 2+++ configuration by 2030, in cooperation with French shipbuilder Naval Group.
Dendias said the upgraded frigates would feature the most advanced air-defence and strategic-strike capabilities, alongside greatly enhanced platform performance. He described them as potentially “the leading ships in their category worldwide” and confirmed that Greece would continue its cooperation with Naval Group.
Greece’s naval modernisation under Agenda 2030
Read more: Greece Raises Its Flag on New Frigate Nearchos in France
The Defence Minister said the frigate acquisitions form part of the broader Agenda 2030 defence strategy.
The programme aims to protect Greece’s maritime routes, sovereignty and sovereign rights across the wider Eastern Mediterranean, while also safeguarding European interests.
Dendias highlighted the European dimension of the new technologies, saying that Greece should not overlook their contribution to European security.
He also pointed to the significant progress Greece has made in strengthening national defence, describing the Hellenic Navy as a central element of that effort.
By the end of the decade, he said, Greece will have a new navy featuring 10 modern or modernised frigates.
The transformation will also involve a new operational approach incorporating autonomous and unmanned systems that will work alongside the advanced naval platforms Greece is acquiring.
Dendias tells Nearchos crew that Greece fully trusts them
Addressing the captain and crew of the Nearchos, and through them all Hellenic Navy personnel, Dendias said the country placed its complete trust in them.
He said Greece was entrusting the crew with one of the most advanced naval units in the world, describing the Nearchos, alongside the Kimon, as the most modern vessels in the Greek fleet.
He emphasised that their primary mission was to protect Greece’s sovereignty and sovereign rights.
Concluding his address, Dendias stressed the responsibility to preserve the country’s defence capabilities for future generations.
“It is our obligation, using the resources that Greek taxpayers make available to us, to hand over to future generations everything that was entrusted to us intact,” he said.
(Source: AMNA)
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