A new briefing on the progress of the ARCHITAS development program was made today by the Minister of Finance, Christos Staikouras. The most interesting thing from the minister’s words is that at the same time with the program, works of a second, “upgraded”, therefore of greater capacity, UAV are in progress. In particular, three ministries cooperate: the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Development & Investment.
This means that while the product that will emerge from the ARCHITAS program will be intended for civilian applications, as has been announced from the outset, there is interest in a “military” version that will cover operational requirements of the Armed Forces. Most likely, this version will come from the basic design and features of ARCHITAS. The minister did not specify, however, whether these works are covered by the budget that has been decided to be dedicated to the ARCHITAS program, or whether new funds have been or will be allocated and how much.
The implementation process of the “Archytas” Program, which aims at the design and industrial production of an autonomous multi-purpose aerial vehicle (drone), on behalf of the wider Public Sector, completed the 3rd quarter.
The project is an initiative and is funded by the Ministry of Finance. It is implemented, in terms of research-design part, in collaboration with the Universities Aristotle of Thessaloniki, Democritus of Thrace, Thessaly, and EAB.
Based on the quarterly evaluation of those responsible, the implementation of the program is progressing according to plan.
The structural design of the system is in progress and, at the same time, the supply and control of devices – materials for the system to be produced.
During the 4th quarter, until the end of August, the aforementioned procedures will continue.
From the beginning of October, the pilot flights will start, initially with an operational model under scale, and the organization of the special industrial production lines in ODA.
The “Archytas” project is expected to be completed around the end of 2023 – first two months of 2024.
At the same time, preparations are underway for a second, upgraded system, in collaboration with the Ministries of Finance, National Defense and Development and Investment.
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