Following Iranian drone and missile attacks against Cyprus and Turkey, a European “aero-naval shield” has been assembled in the Eastern Mediterranean, provided by several European countries.
The first to deploy, unsurprisingly, were Greece – due to its longstanding privileged relationship with Cyprus, already tested in the political-military sphere during the Turkish-Cypriot conflicts of 1964 and 1974 – and the United Kingdom, which controls the bases of Akrotiri and Dhekelia. These bases form the Cyprus Sovereign Base Areas, a British Overseas Territory retained even after the island gained independence in 1960.
Athens has therefore deployed the brand-new frigate KIMON, the first of 4 French-built FDI-HN frigates. The ship – named after the Athenian commander who defeated the Persians in the Battle of Salamis in Cyprus in 450 BC – was delivered by Naval Group’s shipyard in Lorient on 18 December 2025 and entered operational service on 15 January.
For defence against missiles and drones, KIMON relies on the Thales SEAFIRE AESA radar, integrated within the advanced Panoramic Sensors and Intelligence Module (PSIM), ASTER-15 and ASTER-30 Block-1 surface-to-air missiles launched from four SYLVER A50 eight-cell VLS modules, as well as RAM Block-2B systems and Leonardo LIONFISH-20 remote weapon stations.
The new frigate has been sided by the older PSARA, one of the 4 HYDRA-class (MEKO-200) frigates ordered from Germany in 1988 and partially built locally. In service since 1998 and still awaiting a major mid-life upgrade, PSARA has nevertheless undergone several updates. In 2024 it participated in missile and drone defence missions in the Red Sea against Houthi threats, shooting down several targets using both the 127/54 mm Mk-45 gun and the new national HAI CENTAUR C-UAV system, installed specifically for that deployment.
The Royal Navy has deployed the destroyer DRAGON, a Type-45 air-defence destroyer in service since 2012. Although the ship has not yet received the SEA CEPTOR missile system under the ongoing Type-45 modernization programme, it can still employ ASTER-15 and ASTER-30 missiles. For the Eastern Mediterranean mission it is also operating two AW-159 WILDCAT helicopters, armed with Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM) MARTLET.
Spain, the Netherlands and Germany have each deployed a frigate. The Spanish Navy is contributing one of its most advanced air-defence units, CRISTOBAL COLON, the newest of the five BAZAN-class (Álvaro de Bazán) frigates. Commissioned in 2012, the ship is equipped with the AEGIS combat system, an improved AN/SPY-1D radar, and a 48-cell Mk-41 VLS carrying 32 SM-2MR Block IIIA missiles and 64 ESSM missiles in quad-pack configuration.
The Netherlands has deployed the EVERTSEN, an air-defence and command frigate (AAW) of the DE ZEVEN PROVINCIEN class, in service since 2005 and upgraded in 2024–2025. The ship carries the same missile types as the Spanish vessel but uses the APAR and SMART-L radar suite.
The German frigate NORDRHEIN-WESTFALEN, which arrived in Limassol on 7 March, belongs to the controversial F-125 “stabilisation frigate” class. Operational since 2020, it features the advanced Hensoldt TRS-4D AESA radar with planar arrays, but has limited air-defence capabilities. However, 2 RAM Block-2 launchers and 2 27 mm MLG-27 autocannons can still be used against drones.
France has deployed a more robust force intended to operate across the entire Eastern Mediterranean Levant. The formation is centred on the aircraft carrier CHARLES DE GAULLE – while the United Kingdom has also placed HMS PRINCE OF WALES on alert – and its carrier strike group, which includes 2 air-defence units: the ORIZZONTE-class destroyer CHEVALIER PAUL and the ALSACE, a FREDA variant of the FREMM frigates.
When the French carrier strike group entered the Mediterranean, the Italian destroyer DORIA (also ORIZZONTE class) was operating alongside the formation and could therefore be redeployed to the Levant.
Direct defence of Cyprus has instead been assigned to the FREMM LANGUEDOC, while on 6 March the light frigate COURBET and the amphibious assault ship TONNERRE departed from Toulon. The latter carries 2 NH-90 helicopters, 2 TIGER attack helicopters, UAVs and landing craft, also intended to support possible assistance operations for French citizens residing in Lebanon.
Both FREMM/FREDA frigates and CHEVALIER PAUL are equipped with ASTER-15 and ASTER-30 missiles, advanced radar systems and various close-range air-defence systems.
A similar configuration is found on the Italian frigate MARTINENGO, a FREMM-GP commissioned in 2018, with which Rome contributes to the European shield protecting Cyprus – the only territory of the European Union directly affected by the conflict that erupted on 28 February.
The frigate is equipped with 16 ASTER-15/30 missiles, the EMPAR radar – more capable than the HERAKLES radar used on French FREMMs and also fitted on the ORIZZONTE class – and a 76/62 mm gun, already successfully employed against drones in the Red Sea during 2024–2025.
It is also worth recalling that Italy currently has 2 frigates deployed between the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea: the FREMM-GP RIZZO (Operation ASPIDES) and the FREMM ASW Enhanced BIANCHI (Operation ATALANTA).
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