Turkish media on the frigate Nearchos: “Greece bought a ship with 1,000 km missiles”, but what was actually delivered?

The delivery of the frigate Nearchos to the Hellenic Navy has occupied the Turkish press, with the TV channel A Haber speaking of a ship that carries “missiles with a range of one thousand kilometres”. On Sunday, November 1, the channel ran a video report titled “Greece bought a ship carrying missiles with a range of 1,000 kilometres” and spoke of “fear of Turkey” that, it claimed, continues in Greece.

In the report, A Haber’s Ilhan Tahsin said Greece had acquired from France the second Belharra-class ship, which carries 1,000-kilometre missiles, and added that Athens defended the move with the words “our right to sovereignty”. A similar headline had been published on Saturday, October 31, by Gazete Oksijen: Greece bought from France a ship with “one thousand km” missiles and, according to its headline, this is “the most advanced option” for its sovereign rights.

What the Turkish defence press writes about Nearchos

Turkish news and defence websites focus on the frigate’s armament. Sözcü wrote on Monday, November 2, with a headline that the neighbouring country is adding to its fleet a huge warship with a 21-cell system, referring to the RAM (Rolling Airframe Missile) system for close-in air defence. The article notes that the ship was delivered in Lorient, France, at a ceremony with Defence Minister Nikos Dendias and French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin, and that its armament draws attention in relation to the balance in the Aegean, which the Turkish public follows closely.

In Sözcü’s report, Nearchos entered service directly in the “Standard 2” configuration, with two additional A50 SYLVER vertical launch modules, four SYLENA Mk1 decoy launchers, a SEAFIRE radar and a SENTINEL electronic warfare support system. The website Envanter Medya, which recorded the delivery on Sunday, says the class’s frigates are armed with Exocet MM40 Block 3C missiles and that Greece has ordered four FDIs in total. Ulu Savunma adds that Athens plans to upgrade all its frigates to the “Standard 2+++” configuration, so that through SYLVER A70 launchers they can use SCALP Naval or ELSA cruise missiles, that is, gain long-range strike capability. The upgrade is meant to be completed in 2029-2030. Tabya Dijital notes that “Standard 2+++” is not yet a complete modernisation package but a planned higher level, while Nearchos was delivered in “Standard 2”.

The Greek programme behind the reports

Tabya Dijital reports that Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said at the ceremony that Nearchos will be followed by Formion, due for delivery before the end of 2026, while the fourth frigate, Themistocles, will join the Navy in 2028. He said the aim is to upgrade all four ships to “Standard 2+++” by 2030, so that the fleet has 10 modern or modernised frigates by then, with two more depending on conditions.

The SCALP Naval or ELSA cruise missiles that Ulu Savunma lists as options for “Standard 2+++” are not part of the armament with which Nearchos was delivered. For the delivery itself, see our reports on the flag-raising in Lorient and on the participation of more than 75 Greek companies.

The Turkish reports thus link the acquisition of the frigates to the balance of power in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean. Athens is gradually strengthening its fleet with French-built ships, and Nearchos is the second frigate of the series after Kimon, delivered in December 2025.