French Safran's Patroller tactical drone selected to upgrade Greek Army's UAV inventory.

On June 20, 2023, Safran Electronics & Defense announced that the Greek Army has chosen its Patroller tactical drones to upgrade its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) inventory. Facilitated by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), the procurement process resulted in the addition of four new Patroller drones. Previously, Greece had acquired a total of 16 Sperwer UAVs, and this addition represents a significant enhancement to the country's UAV capabilities.

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The Patroller, certified for NATO's STANAG 4671 airworthiness standard in February 2023, is built on the Stemme S15 aircraft platform (Picture source: Safran)

The Patroller, certified for NATO's STANAG 4671 airworthiness standard in February 2023, is built on the Stemme S15 aircraft platform. With a compact logistical footprint, it reduces operating costs for the Greek Army. The Patroller is powered by a 4-stroke, 115hp Rotax 914F engine, supporting both manual and autonomous operations. It offers a Line of Sight (LoS) range of 180km and a SATCOM range of 1,000km.

Equipped with the Euroflir 410 EO/IR pod, the Patroller enables effective ground surveillance. Optional sensor capabilities include COMINT or synthetic aperture radar for target detection. For maritime missions, a multimode surveillance radar can be added to detect maritime activities over a wide area.

The Patroller as a 15-hour endurance, a payload capacity of up to 210kg, an operational ceiling of 16,000ft, and can reach speeds ranging from 100 to 200 km/h.