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Hellenic Navy fires SPIKE NLOS and ER missiles with the Israeli Navy, sinking the decommissioned frigate Bouboulina

The Hellenic Navy carried out acceptance firings of SPIKE NLOS and SPIKE ER guided missiles north of Crete in a joint exercise with the Israeli Navy. The decommissioned frigate Bouboulina served as the target and was sunk by a submarine-launched SUT torpedo.

GEOPOLITIKI GEOPOLITIKINewsroom
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A SPIKE NLOS guided missile in flight during the acceptance firings of October 21. Photo: Hellenic Navy / HNGS.

The Hellenic Navy carried out acceptance firings of SPIKE NLOS and SPIKE ER guided missiles on Wednesday, October 21, in the northern Cretan Sea, as part of an operational joint exercise with the Israeli Navy. The Hellenic National Navy General Staff (HNGS) announced that the firings were carried out with complete success. The target was the decommissioned frigate Bouboulina (F-463), which was then sunk by a submarine-launched SUT torpedo.

The firings were observed by the Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, General Dimitrios Choupis, the Commander of the Israeli Navy, Vice Admiral Eyal Harel, the Chief of HNGS, Vice Admiral Dimitrios-Eleftherios Kataras, and the Fleet Commander, Vice Admiral Christos Sasiakos.

The Greek and Israeli chiefs of staff saluting on a ship's deck during the firings
The chiefs salute on the deck of a ship during the firings. Frame from a Hellenic Navy video.

Fired from a Machitis gunboat and a Mark V craft

The missiles were launched from a Machitis-class gunboat and from a Mark V unconventional warfare craft. According to HNGS, the firings confirmed the effectiveness and operational value of the new weapon system. Israeli Navy units also fired guided missiles. The Hellenic Navy’s gunboats had also trained recently in the “VRONTI 2/26” exercise.

The SPIKE missile camera captures impact on the frigate Bouboulina
The moment a SPIKE missile hits the frigate Bouboulina, as recorded by the missile’s own camera. Frame from a Hellenic Navy video.

The exercise involved ships of the Frigate, Submarine, Fast Patrol Craft, Patrol Vessel and Underwater Demolition Commands, Naval Aviation helicopters, Hellenic Air Force assets and two Israeli Navy guided-missile vessels. Cooperation with the Israeli ships strengthened interoperability between the two navies.

A SUT torpedo explosion beneath the frigate Bouboulina
The explosion of the SUT torpedo under the frigate Bouboulina. Frame from a Hellenic Navy video.
The frigate Bouboulina sinking after the torpedo strike
The frigate Bouboulina goes down. Frame from a Hellenic Navy video.

The Hellenic Navy also published on its X account a video of the joint exercise and the surface-to-surface guided missile firings of October 21 in the Aegean, showing the flags of Greece and Israel.

A SPIKE NLOS missile launching from a Mark V craft
A SPIKE NLOS launches from a Mark V unconventional warfare craft. Photo: Hellenic Navy / HNGS.
A SPIKE missile in flight over the northern Cretan Sea
A SPIKE missile in flight over the northern Cretan Sea. Photo: Hellenic Navy / HNGS.
The Greek and Israeli chiefs of staff at sea during the exercise
The Chief of HNDGS, the Commander of the Israeli Navy and the Chief of HNGS at sea. Photo: Hellenic Navy / HNGS.
The frigate Bouboulina with strike damage before sinking
The frigate Bouboulina, damaged by the strikes, before she sank. Photo: Hellenic Navy / HNGS.

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