Paris Air Show: NATO brokers Greek deal to acquire Safran UAVs
Greece has ordered four Patroller UAVs from Safran via the NATO Support and Procurement Agency. (Photo: Safran)
The Greek Army has chosen Safran Electronics & Defense to modernise its UAV inventory, adding four new Patroller tactical drones to its current Sperwer fleet.
The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) was tasked by the Greek government to enter into negotiations with Safran. In February 2023 it became the first tactical UAS to be certified to NATO's STANAG 4671 airworthiness standard.
Based on the Stemme S15 aircraft, Patroller has a small logistic footprint which, according to Safran, reduces operating costs. The aircraft is powered by A 115hp Rotax 914F engine.
Related Articles
Safran demonstrates Patroller surveillance capabilities at OCEAN2020
Greece gets new Israeli Orbiter 3 drones under Spike deal
Paris Air Show: Romania orders first batch of Watchkeeper X drones
The UAS can be operated both manually and autonomously with an LoS range of 200km and a range with SATCOM of 1,000km.
Patroller is typically fitted with a Euroflir 410 EO/IR pod for ground surveillance, combined with a COMINT sensor or synthetic aperture radar detecting moving targets.
The platform can be fitted with a multimode surveillance radar for maritime missions, enabling long-range detection of maritime activity over a large zone.
This version also includes an Automatic Identification System (AIS) to perform ship classification, with final confirmation performed with the Euroflir 410.
In 2016, the French Army selected the Patroller for its Tactical Drone System (SDT) requirement. Safran received a contract worth approximately $341.7 million in April that year to deliver three Patroller systems comprising 14 UAVs and five GCS between 2018 and 2019.
Greece took delivery of a total of 16 Sperwer UAVs.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
NATO’s Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability moves ahead with development contracts
The Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) programme is a transnational effort across NATO to replace a range of helicopters which are expected to begin retiring from the mid-2030s.
-
Raytheon strikes deal with new rocket motor maker to secure supply chain
Raytheon has seen increased demand for its missiles in the face of the Russia-Ukraine war where Kyiv has been using air-to-air missiles for ground-based air-defence.
-
European Common Radar System Mk2 begins ground-testing in UK
BAE Systems hopes to work out any issues before the radar is sent for flight testing.
-
Boeing to upgrade software for KC-46A tanker
The KC-46A upgrades will improve the platform’s mission readiness, performance in challenged airspace and rapid deployment capabilities.
-
Teledyne FLIR promotes ITAR-free Star SAFIRE imaging payload at FIA
The Ultraforce 380-HDc, launched at Farnborough International Airshow, builds on Teledyne FLIR’s successful Star SAFIRE family of systems and is aimed at both the military and security markets.
-
Dutch and Austrian governments collaborate on Embraer C-390 acquisition at Farnborough
The two nations will split the acquisition of the C-390s to boost their airlift capacities.