The Minister of National Defence, Nikos Dendias, arriving at the meeting of the Hellenic Parliament’s Standing Committee on National Defence and Foreign Affairs for the discussion of the bill of the Ministry of National Defence, whose object is the “Approval of Contract plans in the defence sector for the amendment of Contracts no 016B/21 and 017B/21 for the procurement of “FDI HN” type frigates and their follow-on support”, made the following statement:

“I will shortly put forward, in the competent Committee of the Hellenic Parliament, the contract for the acquisition of the Belharra Standard 2++ Frigate and the upgrade of previous Belharra Standard 2 Frigates to the Standard 2++ level.

I dare say, with full knowledge, that the Belharra Standard 2++ Frigate is the most advanced frigate worldwide.

Compared to the initial type of the simple Standard 2 Frigate, it fields one plus 10 improvements, result of experience gained, from recent wars on the one hand, but also from operation “ASPIDES” in the Red Sea.

It is worth mentioning but one of the important improvements: The capability of this frigate, the fourth one, “THEMISTOCLES”, but later on also of the rest of our three Frigates, to field a “cruise” missile, with a strike capability of over a 1000 km. This missile will probably be the ELSA missile, the next generation of the SCALP Naval missile.

I am sure that the National Delegation will support the Government in the national need for the further strengthening of the Hellenic Navy”.