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 presented the vertical-takeoff-and-landing drone for the first time at the International Exhibition of Thessaloniki earlier this month. The fixed-wing aircraft is a joint production between Hellenic Aerospace Industry 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 Hellenic Aerospace Industry, it can provide situational awareness along the land and sea borders of Greece, monitor ground vehicles, accompany frigates, and detect unmanned marine vehicles moving at high speeds.
Nikos Koklas, director of research and design at Hellenic Aerospace Industry, 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.
The Archytatis is a fixed-wing drone capable of vertical take-off and landing(VTOL), a feature that is highly appreciated in environments that do not have runways large enough to take off and land the aircraft, whether it is a firm ground or a ship. So far, the Greek navy has no LHD or similar vessels, making VTOL air assets essential. Currently, several frigates of the Hellenic Navy already have small helicopter-type drones, the Alpha 900.
The Archytatis would greatly increase the capabilities of the Greek Armed Forces, which have already positioned themselves as the first future operator of this UAV, along with other armed forces in Greece. According to statements made by Nikos Koklas, EAB executive, to the US media DefenseNews, there are already other countries interested in acquiring the Archytas.
According to EAB, the Archytas is designed for reconnaissance and strike missions. Its systems include a powerful radar system that allows it to detect other aircraft or ships. Surveillance is understood to be the main potential role of this UAV.
The Archytas is capable of covering distances of 300 km at a cruising speed of 120 km/h. The range is approximately 4 hours of uninterrupted flight time. Its armament capacity allows it to carry up to 14 kg of additional payload. First flight is planned for the end of October 2022.
While the Archytas falls short of the capabilities of the Turkish defence industry’s flagship product, the Bayraktar TB2, it is an interesting step for Greek industry. Getting a domestically produced fixed-wing drone and out of the loop of products subject to US Congressional approval for sale is one of the sine qua non conditions for the democratisation of weapons systems of this type. If the words of AEB officials are true, Greece may have a direct competitor to Turkey’s Bayraktar in the future.
After unveiling the demonstrator prototype, an Archytas drone is to perform its first flight in late October 2022. The first pre-production system is expected to be integrated and manufactured by December 2023, with a first flight by March 2024.
The first customers of the Archytas will be the Hellenic Armed Forces as well as other Greek civil protection agencies.
Sources: Atalayar; Defense News