Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said during a visit to the Naval Group shipyards in Lorient, France, on Thursday that the delivery of three state-of-the-art Belharra frigates within the next two years would be the most significant upgrade of the Greek Navy in recent decades, significantly enhancing Greece’s deterrent capability.
Accompanied by National Defence Minister Nikos Dendias and French Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrysoula Zacharopoulou,
Mitsotakis received updates from Naval Group’s President and CEO Pierre Eric Pommellet and Vice-President Olivier de la Bourdonnaye on the progress and delivery schedule of the Belharra frigates.
Expressing his satisfaction with the swift progress of the ambitious armament program, Mitsotakis noted that the first of the three frigates “Kimon” has left the dry dock and is waterborne and is expected to be delivered to the Hellenic Navy by 2025.
Mitsotakis also stressed “ the involvement of the Greek defense industry, specifically the Salamis Shipyards, which are building one of the nine blocks that essentially create this state-of-the-art ship.”
According to government sources, Mitsotakis boarded “Kimon” and visited the building sites of the frigates “Nearchos” and “Formion”, expected to be delivered around the end of 2025 and 2026, respectively.
