Filenews 16 February 2026 - by Andreas Pogiatzis
The Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the National Guard want to upgrade about 300 armoured personnel carriers (APCs) of the "Leonidas" type, as part of a broader plan to enhance operational readiness and extend the life of existing weapon systems.
The design and implementation of such a modernization program requires the participation of Greece, which also has a significant number of vehicles of the same type.
As we had mentioned in an earlier report, Athens and Nicosia were in discussions, with the declared desire of the Cypriot side to proceed with the procedures and for the modernization of vehicles to take shape through the SAFE program.
It is noted that, in order to proceed with any process of procuring equipment through SAFE, Athens had to officially express its interest. This is because the programme strictly stipulates that joint procurements can only be implemented when at least two Member States are involved.
As Filenews is informed, Athens still has its reservations about the upgrade program of the Leonidas APCs, but the discussion has not been finalized. As it emerges from the discussions, this vehicle is not high on Athens' priorities, while the upgrade of the American-made M113 APCs, a vehicle that the Greek Army has in very large numbers, is strongly promoted.
The proposal for Leonidas
The proposal for the upgrade of the "Leonidas" APCs was made by the Greek company EODH and is part of the logic of utilizing existing means with targeted improvements, which will significantly increase their operational value. The company has experience in the field of armouring and upgrading armoured vehicles and has occasionally introduced modernization packages that include armour reinforcement, improvements in crew survivability and upgrading critical subsystems.
The upgrade of the "Leonidas" proposed by the company is comprehensive and is considered to be able to offer an operational benefit at a comparatively lower cost than the complete replacement of the fleet, while at the same time enhancing interoperability and cooperation between Greece and Cyprus in the defense sector. In fact, there could also be involvement of the Cypriot defense industry for the integration of innovative subsystems that would add greater capabilities to the vehicle.
