Greece and Italy sign pact for 2+2 FREMM frigates in Athens’ Agenda 30 naval upgrade plan.

Greece and Italy signed cooperation documents in La Spezia that open the way for Greece to receive two Italian Bergamini-class FREMM frigates, with an option for two more. The move accelerates Athens’ fleet modernization and aims to strengthen NATO air defense and regional deterrence in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias used a visit to La Spezia to announce a concrete path for the Hellenic Navy to take over up to four Italian Bergamini class FREMM frigates, a 2+2 plan sealed in a Memorandum of Cooperation and a Declaration of Intent signed with Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto aboard an Italian Navy frigate. Dendias said the arrangement opens the door to an initial transfer of two ships with an option for two more, part of a wider naval modernization that also includes the French Belharra program. He added that Athens is exploring fitting the same new generation “ELSA” surface-to-air missile family planned for the Belharras on the FREMMs, a configuration he said industry considers feasible.
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The Italian-built FREMM Bergamini class frigates, displacing 6,500 tons, feature Aster air defense missiles, Teseo anti-ship missiles, advanced ASW sensors, and a 127 mm main gun, giving the Hellenic Navy multi-role capability in air defense, sea control, and submarine warfare (Picture source: Nikos Dendias on X).

The Bergamini class gives Greece an immediately credible blue water combatant that can arrive with mature logistics and a long track record in NATO operations. Built by Italy under the multinational FREMM program, the 144-meter ships displace roughly 6,500 tons at full load, use a quiet CODLAG propulsion scheme, and sustain around 27 knots with endurance beyond 6,000 nautical miles at patrol speeds. Two Italian variants exist: a General Purpose configuration optimized for strike and maritime security, and a dedicated Anti-Submarine Warfare fit with enhanced acoustics. Both are built around a combat system by Leonardo, an AESA multifunction radar, and an electronic warfare suite designed for crowded electromagnetic environments in the Mediterranean.

Armament is centered on vertical launch cells for MBDA Aster family missiles under the SAAM ESD air defense system, typically Aster 15 and Aster 30 for local to area defense. Ships carry eight Teseo anti-ship missiles for sea control and land attack, a 127 mm main gun capable of precision Vulcano ammunition, a 76 mm Super Rapid gun with Strales guided rounds for close-in anti-missile work, and MU90 torpedoes fired from twin launchers. Aviation facilities support a large ASW helicopter such as NH90 or EH101 with hangar, dipping sonar, and heavy torpedo load, a critical advantage for Greek operations around the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean choke points.

For the Hellenic Navy, deploying a FREMM pair would close the air and surface coverage gap that persists as the legacy Elli class ages out and the first FDI HN Belharra enters service. Aster 30 gives credible medium-range air defense for task groups, while the 127 mm gun brings precision naval fire support to island scenarios where joint fires must be delivered quickly and at range. The ASW variant, with a low acoustic signature, hull sonar and towed array, strengthens hard-to-regenerate skills against increasingly quiet non-NATO submarines operating from the Black Sea through the Levant. With a large flight deck and modern combat system, the ships can serve as flagship platforms for maritime security, embargo enforcement and high-end deterrence patrols that demand persistent sensors and robust command spaces.

Politically, the 2 plus 2 path fits a Greek defense plan of roughly 28 billion euros across the decade, spreading spending while pulling capability left in the timeline. It complements the decision to add a fourth Belharra and pursue new submarines, and it deepens a fast-warming Athens-Rome axis on defense production and fleet readiness. The move also signals to Ankara that Greece intends to hold qualitative naval superiority through the 2030s, pairing French and Italian surface warfare ecosystems with U.S. and European munitions. Dendias framed the documents as a step into a “new era” for the Navy, a message pitched both to the domestic audience and to allies coordinating presence operations in the Eastern Mediterranean after a period of recurrent maritime and airspace frictions with Turkey.

If the missile harmonization plan holds and FREMMs can embark the same next wave of air defense weapons as the Belharra fleet, the Hellenic Navy would gain a common magazine that simplifies logistics, expands the defended area around islands and sea lanes, and lets commanders mix Italian and French hulls without losing coherence in strike or air defense.

Written by Evan Lerouvillois, Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group.

Evan studied International Relations, and quickly specialized in defense and security. He is particularly interested in the influence of the defense sector on global geopolitics, and analyzes how technological innovations in defense, arms export contracts, and military strategies influence the international geopolitical scene.