UPDATE - Israel, Greece ink long-stalled deal for Spike missiles

CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, ADDS GREEK STATEMENT, EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Ahmet Gencturk, Abdelraouf Arnaout

ATHENS/JERUSALEM (AA) - Israel on Monday announced a nearly $400 million agreement to supply Greece with guided anti-tank missiles.

In a statement, the Israeli Defense Ministry said it would provide Greece Spike missiles manufactured by the state-run Rafael Advanced Defense Systems company.

It added that the agreement was signed between Israeli Defense Ministry Director-General Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir and Greece's director of defense investments and armaments, Vice Adm. Aristeidis Alexopulos.

In a separate statement, Greek Defense Ministry detailed that the missiles would come in three different configurations.

Accordingly, apart from NMT multi-role configuration, NLOS type for the country’s US-made AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, and longer-ranged ER configuration for the navy’s MK V fast attack craft vessels and Osprey class gunboats would be procured.

The deal also includes limited updates for 19 of the country’s Apache helicopters.

On March 29, Greece approved the purchase of the Israeli missile systems during a meeting of its National Security Governmental Council chaired by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Greece recently signed multiple big-ticket arms deals, including for drones from Israel, Rafale jets from France, and upgrades to its F-16 fleet from the US.

Athens also approached Washington for the potential purchase of at least 20 F-35 stealth aircraft, and Berlin for an update to its Leopard 2 tank fleet and purchases of Lynx armored vehicles.