Greece won’t get Israeli source code for €3B Achilles Shield

Athens had pushed for access to the software to avoid becoming dependent on a foreign supplier

By Antoaneta Roussi

September 10, 2026 3:53 pm CET

BRUSSELS — Greece will not receive Israel's source code for the command-and-control system underpinning its new €3 billion Achilles Shield air defense network, according to the head of Israel's Missile Defense Organization.

The revelation complicates Athens' efforts to ensure it can independently operate and upgrade a system that will sit at the heart of the country's air defenses.

Achilles Shield, agreed between Greece and Israel on Aug. 31, will bring together a suite of Israeli technology designed to protect Greece against missiles, aircraft and drones. The deal is the latest installment in a growing relationship between European governments and Israel's defense industry.

Athens had pushed for access to the source code behind the system's command-and-control technology so that Greek engineers could maintain, modify and upgrade it without relying entirely on Israeli suppliers.

"Becoming 'hostages,' be it even to the friendliest foreign country or ally, is absolutely impossible," Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said in July.

Asked by Greek newspaper Kathimerini whether Greece would have access to the source code, Moshe Patel, director of the Israeli Missile Defense Organization, replied: "No. Because the 'source code' was not included in the license to use the agreement."

Israel's Defense Ministry subsequently clarified that Israeli know-how would be transferred to Greek companies participating in Achilles Shield, enabling them to develop a "Greek source code" for the system.

The source code developed in Greece would remain under "exclusive Greek control", a spokesperson for the ministry told Kathimerini.

A spokesperson for the Israeli mission to the EU did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Greek Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.