Greece signs four contracts to speed domestic combat drone programs
Greece has signed four new contracts to accelerate domestic combat drone and loitering munition development. The deals were issued by the Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation after field evaluations during the national joint exercise PARMENION and bring together state research bodies and private industry.
One contract covers the development of a kamikaze drone by the Hellenic Research Technological Development and Innovation Center. Three others focus on building domestically produced Category I unmanned combat aerial vehicles for near-term service with the Greek Armed Forces. The defence ministry said the agreements mark a shift toward a sustainable innovation model that links research directly with manufacturing and operational requirements.
The move extends a broader Greek push to build sovereign unmanned capability as regional security pressures intensify. Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said instability and conflict in the wider neighborhood have underscored the importance of innovation and advanced technology. He has also pointed to the creation of the Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation in 2023 as a key step in developing homegrown defence technology rather than relying only on foreign suppliers.
Athens has been expanding its unmanned portfolio through both procurement and local production. Earlier modernization plans included the acquisition of U.S.-made Switchblade loitering munitions, split between the Switchblade 300 and Switchblade 600 variants, to strengthen tactical strike options for ground forces. In 2025, Greece also selected four French-built Patroller UAVs to improve intelligence and surveillance coverage over critical areas including the Aegean Sea and its northern borders.
The new contracts also fit into a wider industrial buildup around drones. Greece has converted the 306 Telecommunications Base Factory near Athens into a production hub able to build more than 1,000 drones a year, with similar capacity planned at other regional facilities such as Xanthi. In 2025, the government launched a 24-million-euro program to develop indigenous cargo UAVs with greater lift and autonomy than current surveillance systems and announced a drone and counter-drone training school in Tripoli. Together, those steps show Greece is building a full unmanned ecosystem from design to production to training, a strategy likely to improve military readiness and reduce long-term dependence on external technology.