The heavy equipment and weaponry of the Hellenic Army is of mostly foreign manufacture, from German, French, American, British and Russian suppliers. A notable exception is the Leonidas armored fighting vehicle which is built in Greece by the Hellenic Vehicle Industry.
Equipment runs the gamut from state-of-the-art to obsolescent Cold War inventories; the latter are gradually being retired.
Small Arms and Infantry Support Weapons[]
Firearms[]
Weapon | Caliber | Origin | Notes |
Pistols and Submachine Guns | |||
Colt M1911A1 | .45 ACP | United States | Service Pistol. |
HK P7 | 9 mm Luger | Germany | Made under license by EAS [1] |
Glock 17 | 9x19 mm NATO | Austria | Used by special forces and marines |
HK MP5 | 9x19 mm NATO | Germany | Made under license by EAS |
Assault Rifles, Battle Rifles and Carbines | |||
HK G3A3 | 7.62x51 mm NATO | Germany/ Greece | Service Rifle. Made under license by Ellinika Amyntika Systimata (EAS) (English—"Hellenic Defense Systems"),[2] formerly under EBO ("Hellenic Arms Industry").[3] |
M16A2 assault rifle | 5.56x45 mm NATO | United States | Used by special forces / Navy / ISAF Forces in Afghanistan. |
M4 carbine | 5.56x45 mm NATO | United States | Used by special forces / Navy |
FN FAL PARA | 7.62x51 mm NATO | Belgium | Used by reserved forces |
M14 | 7.62x51 mm NATO | United States | Used by Hellenic Navy |
Sniper Rifles | |||
Kefefs | 7.62 x 51 mm NATO | Greece | Used by special forces, produced locally |
Barrett M82A1M | 12.7 x 99 mm NATO | United States | Used by special forces and marines |
Barrett M95 | 12.7 x 99 mm NATO | United States | Used by special forces |
Machine Guns | |||
HK 11A1 | 7.62x51 mm NATO | Germany/ Greece | Magazine-fed light machine gun. Made under license by EAS |
FN MINIMI | 5.56x45 mm NATO | Belgium/ Greece | Light machine gun, replacing HK11. Made under license by EAS |
FN MAG | 7.62x51 mm NATO | Belgium | General-purpose machine gun |
MG3 | 7.62x51 mm NATO | Germany/ Greece | General-purpose machine gun. Made under license by EAS |
M60 | 7.62x51 mm NATO | United States | General-purpose machine gun |
M2HB | 12.7 x 99 mm NATO | United States | Heavy machine gun |
Grenade Launchers | |||
M203 | 40x46 mm | United States | Designed to be attached to a rifle |
M79 | 40x46 mm | United States | Single-shot, shoulder-fired, break-action grenade launcher |
HK GMG | 40x53 mm | Germany/ Greece | Automatic grenade launcher. Made under license by EAS |
MK19 Mod3 | 40x53 mm |
United States | Automatic grenade launcher in use by Special Forces |
- Greece signed a contract with Heckler and Koch, for 112.270 5,56 mm G36 assault rifle. They would replace G-3 assault rifles as standard rifle of the Army, meaning Greece will adopt 5.56 mm caliber. The rifles would be assembled locally by Hellenic Defence Systems (EAS). However the purchase has been frozen and the soldiers continue to use the current G3 rifle.
Infantry Support Weapons[]
- The Kornet anti-tank guided weapon system is fitted to 4x4 vehicles. Greece has 196 launchers with 1100+ missiles, in service as of 2008.
- 36 M270 MLRS transferred from United States of America to Greece between 1995 and 2001.
- Greece operates over 3.000 M113's and variants, many of these have been transferred from other NATO armies through CFE.
- Netherlands donated almost 170 M-30 107mm mortar due to CFE restrictions.
- 19.793 RPG-18[64-mm] bought from East Germany stocks in 1993
Land Vehicles and Heavy Armament[]
Quantity | Weapon | Origin | Notes |
Anti-tank Guided Missile Launchers | |||
196 | 9M133 Kornet E | Russia | ATGM |
366 | BGM-71 TOW II | United States | ATGM |
400 | MILAN | France/ West Germany | ATGM Most of MILAN I have been upgraded to MILAN II |
262 | 9M111 Fagot | Soviet Union | ATGM |
Anti-tank Recoilless Rifles | |||
1,988 | Sweden | 84 mm | |
1,291 | M40 recoilless rifle | United States | 106 mm / some of them are mounted on Jeeps |
1,346 | M67 recoilless rifle | United States | 90 mm |
135 | LRAC 89 mm STRIM | France | 89 mm |
Anti-tank Rocket launchers | |||
18,706 | RPG-18 | Soviet Union | 64 mm |
10,841 | M72A2 LAW | United States | 66 mm |
Heavy Mortars - 100 mm and above (CFE treaty caliber limit) | |||
316 | E56 120 mm Mortar | Greece | 120 mm Made by the Greek weapons manufacturer Ellinika Amyntika Systimata |
624 | M30 | United States | 107 mm 256 in use on the M106A1/A2 AMC |
Medium and Light Mortars - below 100 mm (CFE treaty caliber limit) | |||
690 | E44-E 81 mm Mortar | Greece | 81 mm Made by the Greek weapons manufacturer Ellinika Amyntika Systimata |
125 | Hirtenberger M6C-210 | Austria | 60 mm Produced by the Greek weapons manufacturer Ellinika Amyntika Systimata under license from Hirtenberger of Austria. |
1,616 | M1 | United States | 81 mm In storage |
- In 1981 Greece ordered 106 Leopard 1A3 GR MBTs plus 4 armoured recovery vehicles, delivered between 1983 and 1984. Almost 170 Leopard 1V were donated by the Netherlands in 1991.
- In 2003 the Greek army ordered 170 new Leopard 2A6 HEL (Hellenic), to be jointly produced by the German Krauss Maffei and the Greek ELVO firms and delivered between 2006 and 2009.
- In 2005 Greece purchased 333 used tanks: 183 Leopard 2A4s and 150 Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks from Bundeswehr reserves. This raised the number of Leopard 1 tanks in Greek service to almost 350, and added Leopard 2A4 tanks to Greece’s inventory. Leopard 2A4 tanks have been quipped with a 105 mm cannon for training purposes (to exploit the existing large stock of 105mm ammunition), allowing quick restoration of the original L44 120 mm cannon. Another 98 additional Leopard 1A5 tanks were delivered as an offset of the total Leopard 2 HEL procurement package.
- AMX-30B2 currently in reserve, and some units sold to Cyprus.
- At least 312 M-60A3 were in active service in 2009.M-60 tanks supposed to be scrapped, sold or retired, as Leopard tanks are replacing them and CFE limit restricts the total number of tanks in service. United States transferred to Greece in 1992-93 358 M60A1 and 312 M60A3 tanks. Greece has donated at least 13 M60A3 tanks to help bolster Afghan tank platoons and may increase this number to almost 50 additional tanks. At least 350 M60 tanks of the Greek Army could be donated to Iraq.
- As of 2004, Greek Army tank drivers are mostly professionals, but conscripts are still trained as tank drivers,as well as in all other tank crew stations.
- In 2011, the USA offered 400 used M1 Abrams tanks to Greece. As of 2013, 90-115 tanks are expected to be delivered to Greece with upgrades worth 200-400 million dollars.
Armored Combat Vehicles/Carriers and Unarmored Vehicles[]
Quantity | Type | Origin | Notes |
CFE treaty limit: 1,735 | |||
170 | Leopard 2A6 HEL | Germany/ Greece | 120 mm gun. Delivered between 2006 and 2009. Built in Greece by ELBO under license of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW).[4] |
183 | Leopard 2A4 | Germany | 120 mm gun |
501 | Leopard 1A5/GR | Germany | 105 mm gun |
390 | M48A5 MOLF (Modular Laser Fire Control System) | United States | 105 mm gun |
Quantity | Weapon | Origin | Notes |
CFE treaty limit: 2,498 [5] | |||
Armored Infantry Fighting Vehicles (AIFVs) | |||
350 | BMP-1P Ost | Soviet Union | Bought from Germany. |
491 | Leonidas II | Greece \ Austria | Made by the Greek vehicle manufacturer ELBO including 90 upgraded Leonidas 1 |
1,789 | M 113A1/A2 | United States | Armored Personnel Carrier |
3 | M125A1 AMC | United States | Armored mortar carrier, based on M113. Equipped with the M29 (81 mm) mortar. |
Armored Mortar Carriers - 100 mm and above (CFE treaty caliber limit) | |||
256 | M106A1/A2 AMC | United States | Armored mortar carrier, based on M113. Most vehicles are equipped with the M30 (107 mm) mortar but 120 will be equipped with the E-56 (120 mm) mortar. |
Armored ATGM Carriers | |||
290 | M901/M901A1 ITV | United States | Armored BGM-71 TOW carrier, based on M113 |
12 | M113 TOW | United States | M113 vehicle mounting a BGM-71 TOW launcher. |
Armored Command Vehicles | |||
80 | M577A2 | United States | Armored command vehicle, based on M113 |
Armored Wheeled Vehicles | |||
243 | VBL | France | Various Versions |
695 | HMMWV | United States/ Greece | Various Versions - Some ex-US Army surplus. Others are new M1114GR made by ELBO under license. |
Unarmored Wheeled Vehicle | |||
8,300 | Mercedes-Benz G-Class | Germany/ Greece | Made under License by ELBO -Various Versions |
148 | KrAZ-255B | Ukraine | Using as a transport vehicle and also can carry a PMP folding bridge |
160 | Oshkosh | United States | 8x8 Truck |
150 | M35 2½ ton cargo truck | United States | A2 |
120 | MAN | Germany | 6x6, 8x8 Truck |
850 | Steyr | Austria/ Greece | Trucks made under License by ELBO (Type: Steyr 12M18) |
110 | Unimog | Germany | Various Versions |
? | Tatra | Czech Republic |
- The first version of the 'Leonidas' was the Austrian Saurer 4K 4FA Armored Personnel Carrier built with minor local modifications, built from 1981 until 1987. The 'Leonidas-2' involved extensive modification of the previous model, with the aim to essentially develop it as an Armored Infantry Fighting Vehicle (AIFV). 503 Leonidas vehicles of both versions delivered to Greece and 197 to Cyprus.
- All M-113 vehicles in the Hellenic Army have been upgraded to or acquired with at least the A1 modifications.
- Germany sold 501 BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles, formerly operated by East Germany.They have been retired due to lack of spare parts
- Greece had the intention to donate some of its 500 BMP-1 to the Iraqi Army. 36 refurbished BMP-1 were delivered in November 2005 and 64 BMP-1s in December 2006.
- The Panhard VBL was acquired after the need for armored reconnaissance vehicles was identified by the Army's involvement in peacekeeping operations.
- In 2009 the Greek government decided to buy 415 BMP-3M infantry fighting vehicles. 35-50 BMP-3F and some BREM-L vehicles would be transferred from Russian stocks, too. As of early 2012 the contract is frozen
Artillery[]
CFE treaty limit: 1,920 (calibers > 100 mm) [6] | ||
Rocket Artillery | ||
36 | M270 MLRS | 12x227 mm 152x MGM-140A ATACMS Block 1 are also available. |
116 | RM70 | 40x122 mm |
Self-propelled Artillery | ||
145 | M110A2 | 203 mm L40 to be phased out upon completion of the other programs |
24+1 | PzH 2000 | 155 mm L52. |
12 | M109A5 | 155 mm L39 |
223 | M109A3GEA2 | 155 mm L39. 223 M109GEA2 with all the modernized systems including the AURORA system. Note that the AURORA PROGRAM includes many improvements over the M109A3/M109A5/A6 Paladin. It can also be linked to all the other artillery systems including the PzH-2000GR or act autonomously. |
50 | M109A3GEA1 | 155 mm L39 |
82 | M109A2 | 155 mm L39 |
51 | M109A1B | 155 mm L39 |
Towed Artillery | ||
266 in storage | M114A1 | 155 mm L23 |
445 in storage | M101 | 105 mm L22 |
18 | Mod-56 pack howitzer | 105 mm L14 |
Counter-battery Radar / Observation | ||
3 | ARTHUR (military) | Radar-system |
10 | AN/TPQ-36 | Radar-system |
8 | AN/TPQ-37 | Radar-system |
10 | Stendor | Radar-system |
? | Decca D-110 | Radar-system |
40 | BOR A-550 | Radar-system |
20 | MARGOT XXL | Camera-Observation-system |
- 150 Second-hand Slovak-made RM-70 Grad multiple rocket launchers purchased in Germany in 1993, after the end of Cold War. 116 have been used in active service since then, the rest used for spares.
- In 2008 talks started with Germany for the transfer of 223 surplus German M109A3GE-A2 howitzers to Greece. The deal was signed on the 17th of February 2010. Once deliveries of the 223 howitzers is completed all towed artillery in the Greek Army will be withdrawn, with the exception of 18 M56 Pack guns.
- The Greek Army has 24 PzH 2000 155mm systems, delivered between July 2003 and June 2004.
Air Defense Systems[]
Air Defense - Missile Systems | ||
42 | MIM-23B Improved HAWK - Phase III PIP | 7 batteries x 6 missile launchers each Medium range |
21 | TOR-M1 | |
39 | SA-8 Gecko | |
54 | ASRAD-HELLAS | With 426 FIM-92 Stinger Block 1 missiles. VSHORADS |
150 | FIM-92B/C Stinger-POST & Stinger Block 1 | MANPADS |
Air Defense - Gun Systems | ||
506 | ZU-23-2 | 2x 23x152 mm (B) |
285 | Mk20 RH-202 | 2x 20x139 mm |
Air Defense - Radar | ||
3 | Casta 2E1 | Surveillance radar |
5 | P-19 radar | Surveillance radar |
- In 2000 the Hellenic Army decided to procure 54 vehicle-mounted ASRAD-HELLAS systems. A modular missile system featuring high firepower for day and night operation, each ASRAD-HELLAS weapon system carries four ready-to-fire Stinger missiles and holds an additional four missiles ready for a fast reload. The system is operated by a 2-man team, consisting of the driver, who has the secondary task of air space observer, and the operator of the weapon system.
- The 23 mm ZU-23 lightweight, automatic, towed antiaircraft gun entered the Army arsenal after years of service with the East German army.
- The Artemis 30 was originally developed in 1982, to protect all branches of the Armed Forces from medium and low level attack aircraft.
- With units entering service both from East German and Russian sources, the 9M33 Osa (SA-8) short range surface to air missile system was acquired to maximize the protection offered to Army units. In the mid-1990s Germany sold 13 Osa surface-to-air missile. The Greek government requested its upgrade as the Osa-AKM. The Russians later sold another 16 Osa-AKMs. Greece was so pleased that also ordered 31 Russian-made Tor-M1 (SA-15) short-range surface-to-air missiles under 1999 and 2000 contracts.
- Greece bought the S-300 anti-aircraft and anti-missile system, deciding not to purchase the Patriot PAC-3 anti-ballistic missile interceptor system. The Greek government, realizing that the United States would not allow it to buy the Russian missile system and the Patriot PAC-3, asked Cyprus to buy the S-300. Turkey protested and blocked Cyprus from buying Russia's S-300. Patriots PAC-3 are operated by the Air force, 350th Guided Missile Wing.
- Hellenic Hawk Phase II Upgrade Program brought in 1995 Greek 42 Hawk launchers (7 batteries) to updated version. Ten launchers later updated to more updated version in 1999.
Other Armored Vehicles[]
Medical Evacuation Vehicles | ||
54 | M 113A1 | MEDEVAC |
70+ | Humvee | Ambulance |
? | Mercedes-Benz G-Class | Ambulance |
Armored Vehicle-launched Bridges | ||
8 | Leopard-1 Leguan | Armored Vehicle-launched Bridge based on Leopard-1 chassis. |
10 | Leopard-1 Biber | Armored Vehicle-launched Bridge based on Leopard-1 chassis. |
12 | M60A1 AVLB | Armored Vehicle-launched Bridge based on M60A1 chassis. |
22 | M48A5 AVLB | Armored Vehicle-launched Bridge based on M48A5 chassis. |
Armored Recovery Vehicles | ||
12 | Leopard II BUFALO HEL | Armored Recovery Vehicle based on Leopard-2 chassis. |
43 | Leopard-1 ARV | Armored Recovery Vehicle based on Leopard-1 chassis. |
95 | M88A1 | Armored Recovery Vehicle of the Patton tanks family. |
Armored Demining Vehicles | ||
10 | Leopard-1V MP | Armored Demining Vehicle based on Leopard-1 chassis. Gun was removed (in order to comply with CFE treaty limits on number of MBTs) and a Full Width Mine Plough (FWMP) from Pearson Engineering was added. |
Aircraft[]
Aircraft | Origin | Type | Versions | In service[7] | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bell 205 | United States Italy |
utility helicopter | UH-1H Iroquois AB 205 |
26 62 |
Ex US Army AB205 built by Agusta |
Bell 206 | Italy | utility helicopter | AB 206B-3 | 14 | built by Agusta |
Bell 212 | Italy | VIP | AB 212 VIP | 1 | built by Agusta |
Boeing AH-64 Apache | United States | attack helicopter | AH-64A+ AH-64DHA |
19 10 |
13 to be upgraded to D (+7) Apache Longbow |
Boeing CH-47 Chinook | United States | transport helicopter | CH-47DG/SD | 15 +10 | |
Cessna 185 | United States | utility | U-17A | 14 | |
NHI NH90 | Europe | transport helicopter | 7 | 13 on order | |
C-12 Huron | United States | VIP/photo recon aircraft | C-12R | 3 | |
SAGEM Sperwer | France | reconnaissance UAV | 4 | 16 drones | |
Schweizer 300 | United States | training helicopter | 300C | 17 |
- The Army is looking to replace AB-205 and UH-1 helicopters in the immediate future.
- Greece bought ten CH-47Cs for the Army, nine of which were later upgraded by Boeing to the CH-47D standard. In 1999 Greece bought seven New Boeing CH-47D Chinooks. As of November 2008, Greece had 15 CH-47DG/SD Chinooks in use.
- In 1995 20 AH-64A+ were purchased. In 2003 Greece signed a contract for 12 AH-64D Longbow.
Historical equipment[]
Main article: List of historical equipment of the Hellenic Army
References[]
- ↑ "EBO 9 mm EP7 pistol (Greece), PISTOLS". Jane's Information Group. 2001-04-25. http://www.janes.com/extracts/extract/jiw/jiw_0072.html. Retrieved 2009-05-22.[dead link]
- ↑ Hellenic Defense Systems
- ↑ "Personal infantry weapons: old weapons or new hardware in the coming decades? - Free Online Library". Thefreelibrary.com. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Personal+infantry+weapons%3A+old+weapons+or+new+hardware+in+the+coming...-a09037642. Retrieved 2013-08-23.
- ↑ "Leopard 2 HEL images and info". http://greekmilitary.net/greekmbtanks.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
- ↑ According to the CFE treaty, the Armored Combat Vehicles category includes Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs), Armored Infantry Fighting Vehicles (AIFVs), and Heavy Armament Combat Vehicles. Heavy Armament Combat Vehicles includes vehicles that were not MBTs, APCs or AIFVs but have an integral gun of at least 75 millimeter (mm) caliber and weight at least 6 tons.
- ↑ According to the CFE treaty, the Artillery category includes guns, howitzers, mortars, multiple launch rocket systems, and artillery pieces that combine the characteristics of guns and howitzers.
- ↑ "World Military Aircraft Inventory", Aerospace Source Book 2007, Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 15, 2007.
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The original article can be found at List of equipment of the Hellenic Army and the edit history here.
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