Greek company EAS and Heckler & Koch sign strategic partnership for defense material production and research.

At the headquarters of Hellenic Defense Systems (EAS) A.B.E.E, the official presentation of the strategic partnership – a contract worth €50 million – between the Greek company EAS and the German company Heckler & Koch (HK) took place on April 6, sealing a decades-long successful partnership between the two companies, doureios.com reports. The two companies have a long history of cooperation, which began in the late 1970s, when H&K received from the Hellenic State the contract to equip the Hellenic Armed Forces with portable weapons, which were manufactured at the Aegis factory with H&K know-how following a license obtained by the then EBO.
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Heckler & Koch HK433 5.56mm caliber assault rifle. EAS and the German company Heckler & Koch have a long history of cooperation, which began in the late 1970s (Picture source: Army Recognition)

The CEO of EAS, Mr. Nikos Kostopoulos, stated that "the strengthening of cooperation with one of the leading companies of the German defense industry as well as the parallel initiative for trans-European cooperation in the field of research and innovation between EAS and the German-Dutch consortium, which is led by HK, is the result of the systematic effort that has been made in recent years for the reorganization and development of the EAS. I believe it is the beginning, he continued, of a joint effort, which not only significantly strengthens the position of the EAS, but will also be a catalyst for the development of the Greek Defense Industry as a whole. The EAS factory in Aigio is the only one capable of producing portable weapons in Greece.

The Managing Director of HK, Mr. Jens B. Koch, referred to the company's strong interest in the development of production activities in Greece, with the aim of strategic cooperation with EAS on a global level. In fact, in order to confirm its determination and commitment to this goal, EK proceeded to establish a subsidiary company in Greece (HK Hellas), for better coordination and constant support of this cooperation.

In turn, Dr. Ioannis Loukas, CEO of HK Hellas, referring to the strategic importance of the creation of the company, emphasized that it will be the vehicle for the start of co-production in Greece of HK products for sale on the international market and with the intention of immediately assigning to the ESAs a project worth at least 50,000,000 euros for the next 2-3 years.

This new contract comes in addition to the new order recently given by the Ministry of National Defense to EAS for the manufacture of 570 light machine guns of 5.56 mm type Minimi of the Belgian company FN Herstal. The EAS factory in Aigio has significant experience in the production of the 5.56mm Minimi light machine gun, having manufactured thousands of machine guns for the Greek Army under license in previous years.

Of central importance for strategic cooperation with the EAS is the creation of a Research and Innovation Center for Defense. The Center will be established by Greece together with the Dutch company Forceapp, as the head of a group of Dutch companies, and with the participation of important Greek research companies and Higher Education Institutions. The creation of the Center is part of the European Cooperation for Defense Research between Greece, Germany and the Netherlands. The Center will fill an important gap that currently exists in the Defense sector, while strengthening the position of the Country in the context of its alliances (EU, NATO).

Defense News April 2023