Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias opposed the potential sale of Meteor air-to-air missiles to Turkey during a meeting with British Defence Minister John Healey in London on Tuesday, February 25.
Dendias’ visit aimed to enhance defence cooperation with the UK, which Athens views as crucial in European defence planning after Donald Trump’s recent election win.
Turkey had reportedly requested a large number of Meteor missiles, produced by the European consortium MBDA, co-owned by France’s Airbus, Britain’s BAE Systems, and Italy’s Leonardo Finmeccanica.
During my meeting today with Secretary of State for Defence @JohnHealey_MP at the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom @DefenceHQ, we had the opportunity to discuss, among other things:
— Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) February 25, 2025The potential for cooperation in tackling regional and international security… pic.twitter.com/dJgasJQ3a3
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had raised concerns with French President Emmanuel Macron in early February.
Reports suggest Turkey may seek to reverse-engineer the Meteor missile to advance its own air-to-air missile program.
Turkey’s defence industry is currently testing the Gokhan missile, which shares similarities with the Meteor and could equip upgraded F-16s.
Source: Ekathimerini.
