Greece to buy US Switchblade drones, sources say
PHOTO CAPTION: A U.S. Naval Special Warfare operator fires a Switchblade 300 Lethal Miniature Aerial Munition System during ground mobility training exercises. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chelsea D. Meiller via U.S. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)
ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece plans to buy Switchblade drones from the United States to further strengthen its armed forces as it recovers from a decade-long debt crisis, two sources said on Wednesday.
Athens has drafted a multi-billion, 10-year purchasing plan that includes acquiring up to 40 new F-35 fighter jets from the U.S. and three frigates from France.
The Switchblade, made by AeroVironment, Inc., flies to a target and detonates. It has gained attention because the Ukrainian military is using them to strike Russian troops.
"We have selected the Switchblade type from the U.S.," a Greek official with knowledge of the issue told Reuters. The source did not specify how many Athens would buy.
A second official said that the cost will be 75.2 million euros. The source said the chiefs of staff approved two types of Switchblade with a range of up to 20 km (12 miles) and up to 40 km.
The supply will complement the country's Spike anti-tank missiles that Athens agreed to purchase from Israel and plans send to its islands in the Aegean. Athens also plans to produce its own drone and anti-drone systems.
Greece and Turkey, NATO allies, have long been at odds over issues including where their continental shelves start and end, energy resources, flights over the Aegean, and the ethnically partitioned island of Cyprus.
The procurement of Switchblades must be also approved by Greece's top decision-making body on foreign affairs and defence matters, KYSEA.
(Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas; Editing by Peter Graff)
