By Lefteris Papadimas
ATHENS (Reuters) -It took simply minutes for a brand new Greek-made anti-drone system to point out what it’s able to.
On its first take a look at run with a European Union patrol within the Crimson Sea a 12 months in the past, the Centauros system detected and swiftly introduced down two aerial drones launched by Yemen’s Houthis, who’ve been attacking service provider vessels within the busy transport lane.
One other two drones swiftly retreated: Centauros had jammed their electronics, mentioned Kyriakos Enotiadis, electronics director at state-run Hellenic Aerospace Business (HAI), which produces the anti-drone system.
The profitable take a look at run added impetus to Greek authorities plans to develop a home-grown trade to mass produce anti-drone and drone programs – a part of a 30-billion-euro programme geared toward modernising the nation’s armed forces by 2036.
Named after the mythological half-man, half-horse creature, Centauros can detect drones from a distance of 150 km (93 miles) and fireplace from 25 km (15.5 miles). Greece plans to put in it all through its naval fleet.
“It is the one battle-proven anti-drone system (made) in Europe,” Enotiadis mentioned, as dozens of staff labored close by, assembling digital elements of anti-aircraft missiles.
Up till now, Greece has been utilizing just a few dozen ISR – intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance – unmanned aerial automobiles (UAVs), most of them made overseas, together with in France and Israel.
Because the multibillion-euro defence programme is rolled out, it’ll incorporate Greek-made anti-drone and fight drone programs into the armed forces, together with its deliberate anti-aircraft ballistic dome, referred to as Achilles Protect
HISTORIC RIVALRY
Greece’s neighbour, NATO-ally and historic rival Turkey is a prolific drone exporter.
Greece spends practically 3.5% of gross home product on defence because of the long-standing dispute with Turkey, with the home defence trade accounting for under a fraction of that.
Within the coming decade, it plans to speculate some 800 million euros ($925 million) in defence innovation, mentioned Pantelis Tzortzakis, CEO of the newly based Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation (HCDI), which is supervised by the Defence Ministry.
“Our goal is to export as a lot as we spend on defence yearly,” Tzortzakis mentioned.
Altus, one of some Greek non-public firms that manufacture fight drones, in cooperation with France’s MBDA, has produced Kerveros – a vertical take-off and touchdown UAV with a payload of greater than 30 kg (66 kilos) that features superior anti-tank missiles.
“I am very optimistic in regards to the Greek drone trade,” mentioned Zacharias Sarris, co-owner of Altus, which already exports ISR drones to 5 nations.
“Greece has an amazing want for this expertise,” he added, referring to the nation’s complicated geopolitical place.
Within the meantime, HAI is aiming excessive.
In 2026, it’ll begin mass-producing two extra transportable anti-drone programs referred to as Iperion and Telemachus, designed to guard troops from drone swarms and deadly mini drones.
It should additionally current its first massive unmanned aerial automobile, Archytas, named after the traditional Greek inventor mentioned to have produced the primary autonomous flying machine in about 400 BC.
“We’re striving for this UAV to be one of the best of its form,” mentioned Nikos Koklas, the corporate’s director of latest merchandise.
($1 = 0.8643 euros)
(Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas;Enhancing by Helen Popper)
