Greece is working to ramp up its domestic drone industry, which has lagged behind other European countries, with the development of the locally made “Archytas” aircraft.
Officials demonstrated the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drone for the first time at the Thessaloniki International Exhibition earlier this month.
The fixed-wing aircraft is a joint production between the Hellenic Aerospace Industry (EAB) and the Aristotle, Thessaly and Democritus universities. Representatives said the Archytas unveiling was meant to be the first in a line of upcoming products coming out of the partnership.
Billed as a multipurpose drone, Archytas is capable of operating in both rescue and military operations.
According to information provided by EAB, it can be used to provide situational awareness of the land and sea borders of Greece, to monitor ground vehicles and also to accompany frigates as it has the ability to immediately detect unmanned marine vehicles moving at high speeds.
Nikos Koklas, director of research and Design at EAB, told Defense News the drone was designed to “perform these missions with minimal modifications, which can occur on the spot in the field.” The aircraft’s “excellent surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities manifest a perfect fit for the protection of Greek territory and islands alike,” he added.
