During an informal briefing on August 27, the Greek General Staff announced that a Greek Patriot battery deployed in Saudi Arabia had repelled a drone attack. Given the recent escalation involving Yemen's Houthi forces and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the drones were likely launched by the Houthis.
According to the available information, the Greek Patriot battery fired three surface-to-air missiles at a group of drones of undisclosed size and shot down three targets. Saudi Arabian air defense forces also participated in repelling the attack, although the results of their engagement were not disclosed. The incident was reported by Ekathimerini.
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From Defense Express's perspective, the episode once again demonstrates a problem Ukraine has been highlighting for years: the mathematics of air defense cannot be ignored. Shooting down a drone worth tens of thousands of dollars with a missile costing several million dollars may work tactically, but it is extremely difficult to sustain economically.
The Greek Patriot battery deployed in Saudi Arabia reportedly uses PAC-2 GEM-T interceptors. The cost of a single missile is estimated at approximately $4 million to $6 million, meaning that the interceptor can cost dozens of times more than the drone it destroys.
However, the price difference is only part of the problem. Patriot interceptors are also a limited and increasingly scarce resource. Global stocks were already far from unlimited, while recent large-scale military operations have further increased demand and placed additional pressure on available inventories.
This is also not the first time the Greek Patriot battery in Saudi Arabia has used valuable interceptors against drones. A similar incident reportedly occurred in early April this year, when the system intercepted an Iranian UAV.
This naturally raises another question: why are Greek Patriot systems shooting down drones over Saudi Arabia in the first place?
The answer lies in Greece's participation in the ELDYSA, or Hellenic Force in Saudi Arabia, mission, which began in 2021. As part of this mission, Greece deployed one Patriot battery to Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast near Yanbu. The system is tasked with protecting critical infrastructure, including a major oil refinery.
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