NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — There’s a chance the whirring of propellers heard over Ukrainian battlefields is coming from drones built in a country of just over a million people in southeastern Europe: Cyprus.
Manufacturer Swarmly says there are more than 200 of its H-10 Poseidon drones that help Ukraine’s artillery batteries identify enemy targets on the ground in all kinds of weather, accumulating more than 100,000 hours in the air over the past three years.
Its factory of 5,000 square meters (54,000 square feet), where the whir of grinders molding composite plastics reverberates off the walls, has become a major source of unmanned vehicles sent to countries such as Indonesia, Benin, Nigeria, India and Saudi Arabia, according to company officials. Most of the factory floor is reserved for the manufacture of unmanned aerial vehicles. But tucked away in a secure storage area is a selection of Swarmly’s super-fast marine drones complete with high-definition cameras and .50-caliber machine guns.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompted even the smallest European Union member states to develop their own home-grown high-tech defense industries, as necessity made Kyiv a world leader in advanced UAV technology. Many EU countries have partnered with Kyiv to develop that technology, and Ukraine’s front lines are usually their testing ground.
Like Cyprus, the Baltic countries and Denmark have strengthened their domestic drone and counter-drone technology. In Greece, the drones are part of a 25 billion euro ($29 billion) overhaul of its armed forces.
“The example of Swarmy, as well as other important companies based in small EU countries, is a testimony to the serious effort made by the private sector in Europe to innovate and build capacity for mass production of defense items, including unmanned systems,” said Federico Borsari, an expert with the Washington-based Center for European Policy Analysis.
Force Multipliers
UAVs are reshaping warfare by offering less militarily capable countries leverage over superior adversaries. Drones will not completely replace big-ticket weapons such as tanks, artillery and warplanes, Borsari said. But they offer flexibility and bang for the buck, making them a formidable force multiplier.
Take Swarmly’s explosives-packed, satellite-guided Hydra maritime drone. Each one costs 80,000 euros ($94,500), meaning deploying a group of them to neutralize a billion-euro warship could be a bargain, company director Gary Rafalovsky said.
This type of naval weapon that takes out a much larger warship is already evidenced by Houthi attacks from Yemen, according to Fabian Hinz, research fellow for missile technologies and UAVs at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Europe.
Barriers to entry for undercapitalized companies are low, he added, because UAVs are often designed and assembled from components cheaply and readily available on the global market.
“And this, of course, means that basically you don’t have to have a large industrial investment at first that you need with other military capabilities. You don’t need decades of experience in certain material sciences or these types of things,” said Hinz.
Enter the game
In Denmark, a pair of companies focusing on anti-drone devices reported a sharp increase in new customers, and some of the devices were to be shipped to Ukraine to assist in jamming Russian technology on the battlefield. Ukraine in September said it was partnering with Danish companies to build missile and drone components at a factory in Denmark.
In the Baltic country of Lithuania, scientists and business partners have come together under the name VILNIUS TECH to develop UAVs, automated mine detection and other military technologies. State-run munitions factory Giraite says it has increased production capacity by 50% from 2022.
Greece first demonstrated its home-grown drones and anti-drone technology during a full tactical exercise in November as NATO urged Europe’s defense sector to pick up the pace.
“We need capabilities, equipment, real firepower and the most advanced technology,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned during a visit to Romania earlier that month. “Bring your ideas, test your wisdom and use NATO as your test bed.”
Even as the development of drones accelerates, Borsari warned that the advantages of UAVs are often tempered by many variables such as the harsh conditions they sometimes fly in, operator training and skill levels, as well as the depth of logistical support to keep them functional.
Europe goes into defense mode
Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Trump administration’s mixed messages that have strained relations with NATO allies have forced European leaders to consider the need to become more self-reliant on defense. Therefore the EU has made available billions of euros to encourage investment and strengthen its collective deterrent capacity.
That was a boost to nations like Cyprus, which assumed the six-month presidency of the EU on January 1. Last week, the EU’s executive branch approved financial aid for eight members including Spain, Croatia, Portugal, Bulgaria, Belgium, Romania and Cyprus.
Cyprus is expected to receive final approval from EU leaders for around 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in low-cost, long-term loans under the EU’s 150 billion euro ($177 billion) joint procurement program called Security Action for Europe (SAFE).
Its nascent defense industry is already made up of around 30 companies and research centers that produce technology for both the civilian and military sectors, including robotics, communications networks, anti-drone systems and even satellite communications and surveillance, said Panayiotis Hadjipavlis, head of the armaments and defense capabilities development directorate within the Cyprus Defense Ministry.
“We have niche capabilities on very high-tech products and that should be taken seriously,” Hadjipavlis told The Associated Press in his office, where a helmet from his fighter pilot days hung on a nearby coat rack.
Major players in the defense industry, he added, are among those who should take note.
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Associated Press writer Liudas Dapkus in Vilnius, Lithuania contributed.