Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Minister of Defense Nikos Dendias visited the premises of the Supreme Military Administration of the Internal and Islands (ASDEN) to attend the integration ceremony of two state-of-the-art Drones V-Bat.

Is going to For two modern V-Bat V-Bat Drone Drones (VTOL) of the American Shield AI, worth about 30m euros. These upgraded drones are intended for the surveillance of the Aegean, northern and southern islands.

These two systems, donated by the Athanasios K. Laskaridis Foundation, are capable of operating in every relief, with a flight duration of up to 10 hours.

They are functional in an environment with GPS exclusion and communications, and they have infrared sensors, which allows them to make day and night surveillance flights.

The new drones still have significantly increased capabilities and are characterized by a high degree of operational flexibility, high autonomy and multiple options in the motion. They can try in adverse weather conditions and in interference environment, at low operating costs.

In addition, the V-Bat SME is particularly easy to use in its growth and recovery, upgrading the capabilities and ease of user movements in the field.

Following the presentation of the state-of-the-art V-bat, the prime minister made the following speech: “Mr Minister, etc. Heads, Mr. Thanassis and Mr. Panos Laskaridis, Ladies and gentlemen, I am with you today, first and foremost, to say a big thank you to Mr. Thanassis Laskaridis, for another important donation that he is making for the strengthening of our armed forces.

The system presented today, as you realized, has very important operational capabilities. Sometimes one sees these videos and feels that it is a picture of a science fiction scenario, but this is the true picture of the grant theater today.

A huge technological progress has been made, especially on the issues of air surveillance and target detection, a progress, obviously, which cannot leave the Greek Armed Forces indifferent.

Both of these first systems, which are currently integrated into their potential, essentially upgrade our potential. They allow us to become familiar with the most advanced version of the technology that exists. They allow us to try, quickly in the field, systems that we can then increase their number.

And exactly, Mr. Laskarides, this is the advantage of these donations: that we can relatively quickly get such systems, try them in the field and then find out to what extent we want to invest above.

Mitsotakis

And of course, I want to make a special reference to Mr. Panos Laskaridis, who has also supported the Armed Forces and especially the Greek Navy.

As the Minister said, the Armed Forces are in a process – I say – the bolder transformation that has ever been launched by the constitution of the modern Greek state. To be ahead of developments we need to implement this bold “agenda 2030”, which concerns not only the acquisition of modern weapons systems, but also a different mentality, a different perception of how armed forces are attempting in theaters, which we can change, us.

And of course, as we have said many times with the Minister, what can be the involvement of the Greek defense industry, the domestic added value in this very great effort. The work done in ELKAK is truly excellent and innovative, because it gives us the opportunity to work with an ecosystem of new, start -ups in the field of defense, where some of the best Greek minds work.

We have said many times that it is unthinkable for a country that spends tens of billions of euros in equipment unable to develop its own domestic defense industry. And obviously, now that Europe is moving in the context of increased defense funding and significant transnational partnerships, Greece can have such a footprint in the field of innovation, in the defense as a whole, gives us a very great comparative advantage.

Finally, let me close from the deadline, I would say, urging Mr. Thanassis Laskaridis. The history of the Greek benefactors is identified with the support of the Greek state and the Armed Forces. The most tragic example, perhaps, our iconic battleship, “Averoff”: co -financed – let’s not forget this – by a private donation that allowed us to acquire it, literally at the last minute, when other forces claimed it.

I think the example that the Laskarides family gives should be a guide to how great Greek entrepreneurs, especially in the shipping industry, can actually support the armed forces with amounts that are not obedient.

Because precisely these donations have the potential for great flexibility, high speed, and this is obviously very worthwhile for the Armed Forces, which will always face gaps that will have to be covered in urgent.

Drone

So I wish, Mr. Laskaridis, this donation, and this donation, because it is not the only one – to stand in particular in the state -of -the -art electronic war building that we will soon have the opportunity to inaugurate – to be a guide for others to follow their example. Greece still needs the big donors today and I am sure they will stand up to the circumstances. Thank you very much”.

The Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias, among other things, noted: “Our new research center, ELKAK, has already announced four innovative unmanned development programs and will announce two more by the end of the year, incorporating them into a new doctrine. What you see, what you will see are subsystems of this holistic approach called “Achilles’ shield.

But it is a great pleasure in the armed forces to see that in the efforts of this huge reform -the prime minister has said that it is the greatest reform ever made in the Greek Armed Forces in the history of New Greece -the Armed Forces are not alone.

I conclude by saying that we are a small country but that does not mean that we must be a country that is not strong. There are historical examples of small but extremely powerful and extremely successful countries. I think with the reform that is being done we are on a good track. “

Thanassis Laskaridis said: “The recent war, which is still continuing, in Ukraine, has many lessons in the way the old -fashioned conventional conflicts are carried out, and I hope, I am sure that our government, as well as our armed forces, will receive us.

It is obvious that the world is changing in terms of managing these crises and high rallies, whether people or tanks or ships, which are visible from space, are no longer a way of managing war crisis. This little donation I hope is triggered and other colleagues are interested in helping. ”