Greek DM signed $500-mln defense contract to keep Turkey out of Aegean

Defense Minister Panos Kammenos defended his decision to sign a 500-million-euro contract to upgrade five P-3B Orion aircraft. The story saw the light of day on Sunday's Proto Thema and has stirred controversy bearing in mind the fact that this is the largest arms investment in the last five years and comes at a time when Greece is struggling financially.

Kammenos said that the modernization of the aircraft was key to Greece's participation in NATO surveillance missions that had been rubber-stamped by two separate inner-cabinet meetings.

Speaking to Enikos, a current affairs program on private STAR TV channel, he said: "The program expired on December 31, 2014, and (former defense minister Nikos) Dendias had requested a three-month extension to the contract." Kammenos said that he had no choice but to either sign or refuse as the agreement was reaching its deadline. "We signed, because we couldn't allow Turkish aircraft to take part in search and rescue operations at the Aegeaan sea," he said.

The 35-year-old aircraft are currently grounded, however they have the requirements necessary to take part in NATO collaborations after they are modernized.

The contract signed on March 15 by the Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) and the Independent Greeks (ANEL) junior partner was part of a decision that had been agreed upon on October 13, 2014, with exactly the same terms. He pointed to signatories such as former prime minister Antonis Samaras, former deputy prime minister Evangelos Venizelos, former finance minister Gikas Hardouvelis and former administration minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The contract directly handed to Lockheed Martin was raised in Parliament by the centrist Potami party and sparked criticism by other members of the opposition...