Greek navy strengthens position in the Aegean: 8 vessels equipped with precision SPIKE NLOS missiles

The Hellenic Navy is significantly strengthening its position in the Aegean: eight vessels are being equipped with long-range precision missiles. As newsauto.gr, of the ProtoThema group, reports, the vessels are four artillery boats of the “Machitis” class (P-266 “Machitis”, P-267 “Nikhforos”, P-268 “Ahtitos”, P-269 “Krataios”), designed and built in Greece, as well as four Mark V craft of the divers command (special forces).

At the stern of the vessels, the Typhoon MLS-NLOS system has been installed, with a launcher holding up to eight SPIKE NLOS missiles. According to the report, the Hellenic Navy’s official website already lists the SPIKE NLOS missile in the armament of all four “Machitis”-class artillery boats, confirming that the program has long moved past the design phase.

The naval SPIKE NLOS, produced by Rafael, has a range of up to 32 kilometers and can hit surface targets, as well as land targets beyond the vessel’s direct line of sight. According to the description published by newsauto.gr, the missile uses electro-optical guidance and transmits video to the operator during flight.

The first two units, “Machitis” and “Nikhforos”, had appeared publicly during 2026 with the newly installed launchers; the next critical step is the acceptance firing, which, as reported, is planned soon.

The artillery boats, with a displacement of about 575 tons, a speed of 21–22 knots and a 76 mm OTO Melara gun, are widely used in surveillance and presence missions, particularly in the Eastern Aegean. Adding SPIKE significantly expands their operational options: for the Aegean this matters, because an artillery boat can theoretically receive target data from another unit or from a drone and fire without having the target in its own field of view.