Greece unveils Archytas drone with 300 km range to monitor its islands

Greece continues to work on the development of domestic drone technology. Officials announced a new drone to monitor the islands. The model is called Archytas.

Here's What We Know

The drone made its debut at the Thessaloniki International Exhibition. The Archytas is a drone with vertical takeoff and landing. It was the product of a collaboration between Hellenic Aerospace Industry and the Universities of Aristotle, Thessaly and Democritus. The new UAV is the first innovation released under the partnership.

The developers are positioning Archytas as a multipurpose unmanned aerial vehicle for military operations and rescue missions. The drone will be able to provide situational awareness along Greece's maritime and land borders. The UAV will track ground traffic, escort frigates and monitor maritime drones.

Archytas has a range of 300 km. The drone can fly for up to four hours. The maximum speed of the drone is not specified, and the cruising speed reaches 120 km/h. According to the developers, the new drone can carry a payload weighing up to 14 kg.

At the end of this year the Archytas prototype will make its first flight. Pre-production model will appear in December 2023 and will fly at the end of the first quarter of 2024. The first customers will be the Greek Armed Forces and defense agencies of the country.

Source: Defense News