Greek army to receive 400 additional M1117 Guardian armored security vehicles in 2023.

Greece will receive 400 additional M1117 Guardian armored security vehicles in 2023 from US surplus as part of the expansion and modernization of its military arsenal under contracts with several countries, Greek Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos said on January 27, echoed by Sumaira FH in UrduPoint.com on January 27: "We expect to receive another 400 M1117 armored surveillance vehicles this year", Panagiotopoulos said at a parliamentary meeting.
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The M1117 Guardian, also denoted Armored Security Vehicle (ASV), is an internal security vehicle based on the V-100 and V-150 Commando series of armored vehicles. It was developed in the late 1990s for service with the U.S. Military Police Corps (Picture source: Wikipedia)

The M1117 Guardian armored security vehicles are part of 172 defense projects approved by the Hellenic government and made possible through the deals it has negotiated with other countries, Panagiotopoulos said. This includes a Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement with the United States and strategic agreements with France, Israel, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Greece is in talks with Germany and the United Kingdom to conclude similar strategic agreements, he added. Among other military items contracted by the Greek government for acquisition or modernization Panagiotopoulos mentioned F-16s, French-made Mirage and Rafale jets, as well as Belharra and Meko frigates, Spike NLOS precision-guided missiles, and Romeo anti-ship helicopters, Sumaira FH reports.

The Defense minister added that Greece would receive four more ex-German army Marder 1A3 infantry fighting vehicles in the coming days in exchange for Soviet-made BMP-1 IFVs, which Athens transferred to Ukraine. In December 2022, Panagiotopoulos said that the Greek parliament had adopted the 2023 budget at 5.65 billion euros ($5.9 billion).

The M1117 Guardian

The M1117 Guardian, also denoted Armored Security Vehicle (ASV), is an internal security vehicle based on the V-100 and V-150 Commando series of armored vehicles. It was developed in the late 1990s for service with the U.S. Military Police Corps. The first prototypes appeared in February 1997 and serial production of the M1117 started between 1999 and early 2000.

The M1117 was one of the first U.S. military vehicles to be built on a specialized mine-resistant hull, and after 2001 was adopted in increasing numbers as a direct response to the threat posed by improvised explosive devices to US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Its armament consists of an Mk19 grenade launcher and Browning M2HB heavy machine gun, mounted in a turret similar to that used on the USM's Amphibious Assault Vehicle, and an M240H Medium Machine Gun mounted outside the gunner's hatch.

The vehicle was utilized by American military police and convoy security units in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is a more heavily protected and heavily armed alternative to the armored M1114 Humvee, which was not originally designed to be a protected fighting vehicle.

At about 15 tons, the M1117 is lighter than the 20-ton Stryker ICV or 25-ton M2 Bradley armored vehicle. It can reach a speed of 20 mph in 7 seconds. It is only 7 feet 9.5 inches (2.375 meters) wide, compared to 11 feet 9+1⁄2 inches (3.594 meters) for a Bradley. Buttoned up, the crew has 360° visibility. In size and capability, it fits between the Humvee and the $5 million Stryker.