Greek frigate Hydra quietly deploys to Red Sea with upgraded anti-drone system amid Meko modernization debate.

According to information published by Christian Mazanitis on January 10, 2025, the Greek frigate HYDRA has quietly set sail for the Red Sea, embarking on its fourth mission in the region to join Operation ASPIDES.
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Hellenic Navy's Hydra-class frigate Hydra in April 2024. (Picture source: European Union)

This European Union-led mission aims to protect maritime trade routes from terrorist threats, particularly those posed by Yemen's Houthi rebels. Unlike its previous deployments, the HYDRA’s departure from the Salamis Naval Base was marked by an unusual lack of ceremony, with no formal send-off by the Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff, Vice Admiral Dimitrios-Eleftherios Katarras, or any public announcement from the Navy’s press office.

The deployment comes nearly a year after the frigate’s last mission in the Red Sea, but with a key upgrade: the installation of an advanced anti-drone system, KENTAVROS. This domestically developed system builds on lessons learned from the frigate’s earlier encounters with Houthi drone attacks, including a close call with a kamikaze drone during its first mission. The KENTAVROS system, first installed on the frigate PSARA and later on SPETSAI, now equips the HYDRA for a more robust response to emerging aerial threats.

Despite its operational importance, the HYDRA’s deployment highlights the urgent need for modernization of Greece's four MEKO-class frigates. Commissioned in 1992, the HYDRA is now 33 years old, operating with outdated electronics from the 1980s. Successive delays in modernization efforts have left the frigates struggling to match contemporary naval threats.

Initially, the cost of upgrading the MEKO-class ships was projected at €1 billion, including new weapons systems under a U.S. Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) proposal four years ago. That proposal faced backlash and was shelved in favor of acquiring FDI Belharra frigates, which were celebrated as a game-changer for the Hellenic Navy.

However, escalating costs and emerging security demands have forced a reconsideration of the MEKO upgrade program. The latest reports suggest a scaled-down modernization plan with a 60% cost reduction, capping expenses at €100 million per ship, or €400 million for the entire fleet.

This "surface-level" modernization will focus on installing the KENTAVROS anti-drone system across all four frigates, alongside upgraded radar systems for improved threat detection. While these upgrades aim to extend the ships' operational life by 10 to 12 years, they fall short of comprehensive overhauls. The MEKO-class frigates are expected to assume secondary roles behind the newly acquired FDI Belharra ships.