Cyprus
Cyprus reportedly orders a third Barak MX, Drone Dome and Lite Beam lasers, and plans Iron Dome to replace its Russian BUKs
According to Cypriot press reports on October 11, the government has ordered a third Barak MX battery, Drone Dome systems and two Lite Beam lasers from Israel, while the National Guard plans to acquire Iron Dome to replace its Russian-made BUK systems. The Defence Ministry has made no official announcement.
The Republic of Cyprus is moving to strengthen its air defence again with Israeli systems. According to press reports, including Simerini (in Greek, October 11), the Cypriot government has already ordered a third battery of the Barak MX air and ballistic-missile defence system of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), batteries of the Drone Dome counter-drone system and two Lite Beam laser systems from Rafael. The systems are expected to be deployed on the island within a reasonable period of time.
Some of the Drone Dome batteries are already in Cyprus. Their role is to cover the gap in the low layer of the air defence and in particular to protect the Barak MX positions from drones and loitering munitions. The Cypriot Ministry of Defence has made no official announcement on the new orders.
Iron Dome in place of the BUKs
According to the same reports, the National Guard also plans to acquire Rafael’s Iron Dome, which would replace the Russian-made BUK anti-aircraft systems. This is a plan and not a signed contract. Iron Dome uses the Tamir interceptor, has a range of roughly 4 to 70 kilometres and was designed mainly against rockets, artillery and mortar rounds, while it also engages drones. A typical battery has a radar, a battle-management centre and three to four launchers, each with up to 20 interceptors.
The third Barak MX
Cyprus received its first Barak MX in September 2025, provoking strong reactions in Turkey. The system combines an AESA radar, a battle-management centre and interceptors of different ranges, from 15 to 150 kilometres. The third battery increases the number of simultaneous engagements, the overlap between zones and the network’s resilience against saturation attacks.
The two Lite Beam are 10 kW-class high-energy lasers mounted on vehicles, intended for drones and low-altitude threats at short range, without the cost of an interceptor missile per engagement. Four Greek F-16s, which are planned to support Cyprus in a crisis, are also part of the same air-defence planning.
One dome or two with Greece
The Cypriot architecture has much in common with Greece’s “Achilles Shield”, for which Greece and Israel signed an agreement of about EUR 3 billion on August 31 covering David’s Sling, Barak MX and SPYDER. According to the reports, Athens and Nicosia have held initial discussions on a single air-defence space. The distance, however, is greater than the range of the ground-based systems, so the “Achilles Shield” does not cover Cyprus. The gap can be bridged by Greek airborne early-warning aircraft, fighters, the Hellenic Navy and the shared use of the Barak MX by the two countries.
