The use of military drones has changed the nature of modern warfare, as evidenced by their widespread effectiveness in the Ukraine-Russia conflict. In an effort to bridge this admittedly huge gap vis-à-vis Turkey and Russia, two producers of drones on a large scale, Greece is preparing to mass-produce drones, initially in two variants as part of the armed forces overhaul “2030 agenda.”
The production focuses on two types of unmanned aerial vehicles, the first-person view (FPV) drones and the larger attack iteration, as well as integrating high-tech software to boost their capabilities.
Yesterday, Defense Minister Nikos Dendias visited the 306-telecommunications military production base in Attica, where he inspected what some are calling a “small miracle.” The military personnel managed to set up a production line of drones using 3D printing in a relatively short time.
The aim is to build more than 1,000 military drones within a year, Defense Ministry officials said, part of a push to equip the armed forces with domestically produced unmanned systems. Four types of drones will be manufactured under the program, the defense minister said, framing the effort as a wider drive to bolster national defense capabilities.
“The fact is that Greece is already in the 21st century here, and doing so very quickly,” the minister said. “We will continue this transition, because our country faces a threat. The hope for deterring threats over time is to develop our own Greek capabilities. Greek capabilities, Greek minds, Greek hands, Greek Armed Forces.”
The first two types will be small quadcopters intended for frontline troops to detect enemy movement at greater distances and beyond obstacles such as hills and trees. The first can carry loads of up to four kilograms; the second is designed both to detect and to deliver small explosives, such as grenades or mortar rounds, against targets at ranges of up to six kilometers and at speeds of up to 138 km per hour.
A third type will be a so-called kamikaze drone—small quadcopters fitted with explosive charges or mortar rounds that are intended to strike enemy targets directly, including vehicles, personnel, or light fortifications.
Officials said the program reflects a strategic choice to invest in locally developed systems that can be produced at scale and adapted to the specific needs of Greece’s military.
