Due to the oil and gas deposits in the Eastern Mediterranean and the increased Turkish Navy existence in the region, Greek Cypriots have decided to increase its missile capability.
According to veteranos.gr publishing in Greece, the Greek Cypriot government decided to increase its air and coastal defence capability. Accordingly, the coastal MM40 Exocet surface-to-surface missiles on the island will be modernised. What kind of improvements will be made within the scope of modernization is still uncertain. According to the sources of the site, the modernization of the systems is in high priority. The fact that being the missiles procured from France in 1994 are near the end of their storage life, is shown as the primary reason for priority. With the life extension works, it is planned to increase the effectiveness of the missiles, which are stated to be used efficiently at only 70 km range due to the radar capability of the Greek Cptriot side, by radar and avionic improvements.
Also, according to the news of the website, the Greek Cypriot Administration plans to acquire Mistral short range air defence missiles from France as a result of the increasing Turkish air movements in the region, especially the UAVs.
In the image prepared by the news source, the coverage area of three batteries to be deployed on the Cyprus shores is marked.
