Greece will transfer dozens of heavy cannon and thousands of air-to-ground rockets to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) by selling the weaponry to the Czech Republic, Greek and Ukrainian media reported on Saturday.
Citing government sources, the widely read Greek newspaper I Efimerida ton Syntakton (Ef.Syn) first broke the news that officials from Greece’s Defense Ministry had signed an intergovernmental agreement with Czech counterparts to sell 60 M110A2 self-propelled howitzers of 8-inch (203 mm) caliber, along with 150,000 shells and firing charges, as well as thousands of 2.75-inch and 5-inch ZUNI rockets.
Ukrainian media, led by the security research group Militarnyi, confirmed the Ef.Syn report over the weekend.
According to those reports, Greece’s national General Staff in September downgraded the howitzers to “non-operationally necessary equipment” status, after which Greece’s Defense Ministry signed an agreement to sell the cannon to the Czech Republic, with both sides agreeing the weapons might be then transferred to Ukraine.
The howitzers would be valued at €31.2 million ($36.4 million), and along with the cannon the Greek army would transfer ammunition including 50,000 M106 high explosive shells (€41.5 million),
30,000 M404 ICM improved shells (€33 million) and 30,000 DPICM scatter mine shells (€33.6 million).
The €106.3 million cannon and ammunition transfer would hand over the military materiel “as is,” without refurbishment. The Greek army reclassified the M110A2 to non-operational status in 2023, citing the weapon’s limited suitability for any future conflict likely to be faced by the Greek military.
The Greek report did not give details of on quantities of air-to-ground rockets to be transferred, or the value of the transfer. Ukraine’s Militarnyi estimated the total value of the sale at a minimum €199 million.
Greece’s national security council must approve the transfer in order for the sale to go forward, and a decision meeting has been scheduled in coming weeks, the reports said.
The M110A1 is a slow-firing, long-range (40+ km.), self-propelled howitzer first fielded by the US in the 1970s. In the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), Soviet-era cannon of that caliber are used primarily for counter-battery fire. In the Russo-Ukrainian war heavy howitzers like the M110A2 have seen some but limited use, because some FPV drones carrying anti-vehicle munitions can fly farther than a howitzer can shoot.
If operated by a skilled crew the US-made vehicle takes about 10 minutes to set up, fire and shift to a new location. Emplacement is not always easy because the system weighs more than 28 tons.
NATO standard 2.75- and 5-inch rockets are used most often by Ukraine’s air forces for bombardment by Su-25 strike jet of frontline sectors thought to contain Russian troops or military equipment. AFU pilots in public statements have described the American munitions, particularly the five inch “Zuni” rocket first developed during the Korean War, as reliable and useful.
News of an impending cannon and rocket sale from Greece to Ukraine via the Czech Republic and NATO came against a background of fresh reports the US and EU in early October repeated requests that Greece agree to transfer 25 Mirage 2000-5 fighters to Ukraine.
The Greek Air Force is currently decommissioning its Mirage 2000 fleet because of obsolescence and impending curtailment by the French manufacturer Dassault of maintenance and service by the end of 2027. The old Greek aircraft would be usable as spare parts sources and potential replacement aircraft kits by Ukraine’s Air Force, which operates a reported five Mirage 2000-5 jets donated by France.
The Greek English-language newspaper Ekathimerini in an Oct. 2 article said Athens is “reluctant” to sell its old Mirage 2000-5s to Ukraine because of Greek government concern the handover of a relatively high-tech weapons systems like a fighter jet to Kyiv might anger the Kremlin. Greek approval of such a transfer is “doubtful,” the report said.
The Greek security and defense publication Geostratigika in an Oct. 2 analysis of the probable viability of a Greek-Mirages-to-Ukraine deal said that Athens has already attempted to unload its old Mirages on India or to unnamed Balkan states but found no buyers.
“If Greece decides to proceed, which is doubtful, it will sell the Mirage 2000-5s to intermediaries such as the US, France and Germany, but also smaller countries such as the Czech Republic and Estonia. These intermediaries will resell the aircraft to Ukraine or supply it with other fighters,” the report said.
Greece is a recent new purchaser of France’s advanced Rafale fighter and reportedly wants to buy more. According to Greek defense media, Athens now is considering a resale of the Greek Air Force Mirages back to France, in exchange for reduced prices for more top-of-the-line Rafales, or lower pricing on maintenance for the Rafale fighters the Greek Air Force already owns, Geostratigika wrote.
In 2021 and 2022 Greece bought 24 mostly brand-new Rafales from France at a total reported flyaway cost of €3.2-3.5 billion ($3.7-4 billion), or roughly €80 million ($93 million) per aircraft. The much used Mirage 2000-5s operated by Ukraine are probably worth €35-40 million ($40-47 million) per aircraft, Ukrainian defense industry news reports say.