The "Vikings" are out in the Aegean, as the Greek Army's Amphibious Cruisers take delivery of the long-awaited S1200 speedboats, giving Special Operations officers top amphibious operations capabilities.
Viking Norsafe Life-Saving Equipment Hellas delivered the first batch of S1200 armoured speedboats to the Greek Army on 3 July.
The four vessels were delivered under an agreement signed between the company and the Directorate General of Defence Investments and Equipment on 14 December 2021, for the supply of 41 speedboats for the Hellenic Army's Amphibious Cruiser Squadrons of the Joint Special Operations Command. According to the authoritative military-defense news agency Janes, the agreement includes a seven-year initial monitoring and support contract, with a second batch consisting of three vessels to be delivered in early fall.
The S1200 Armored is a customized variant of the S1200 design and is a semi-open boat. It features a hull with two deep V's and an armoured cockpit protected to NIJIII level with waterproof BR4NS bullet-resistant windows.
A triple Mercury Verado 400 hp outboard engine installation powers the vessel, which is certified to operate in winds in excess of 8 Beaufort and in waves over 4 metres high.
According to Naval Analyses, the S1200 Tactical is 12 m long, 3.5 m wide and has a maximum draught of 0.9 m. The vessel has a maximum speed of over 50kt at full load. It is capable of carrying 14 persons inside its cockpit of which two (the crew), in vibration mitigation seats while the rest in twelve (12) jockey type seats.
The vessel has provision for two machine guns mounted on pedestals behind the cabin. The hull is of the deep-V type with a two-stage transom with vibration mitigation, stability and flexibility, built to provide optimum sea keeping capability at all speeds and in all conditions.
The deck is covered with a heavy-duty non-slip surface. Below deck are the fuel tanks with a capacity of 1,140 litres (3 x 380 litres).
As we reported in Pentapostagma, every Greek armament program, which the Turks deceitfully consider to be directed against their country, is now becoming a topic in the Turkish press in a crescendo of propaganda and psychological warfare, so that we will probably stop buying anything that enhances our deterrent power, contrary to the myth that the Erdogan regime has been "building" for years.
Turkish media reported in aggressive tones that "Greece will purchase 41 Viking Norsafe S-1200 Armored speedboats", exclusively for the protection of the Aegean islands by special forces units of the Greek army. Greece, which has caused great tension with Turkey over armaments in the Aegean and Western Thrace, is this time increasing its armaments on the Aegean islands. The Greek General Staff, together with the General Directorate of Defense Equipment and Investment (DGDAE), to protect and control hundreds of small islands, islets and reefs in the Aegean Sea, "VIKING NORSAFE LIFE-SAVING EQUIPMENT HELLAS S.M S.A.", the Turkish publication said at the time.
The Turks are clearly also targeting the newly established Special Operations Command with a reach to the East Aegean islands, as they understand the threat that Greek amphibious cruisers pose to Turkish neo-Ottoman-style plans.
