Greece getting three MQ-9s
A program for the acquisition of three American MQ-9 medium-altitude, long-endurance drones was submitted to the Parliamentary Arms Committee on Monday.
The unmanned aerial vehicles are considered ideal for carrying out surveillance, reconnaissance and target identification missions in a maritime environment. The cost of the program, for the three drones and two ground control stations, is estimated at 400 million euros.
These systems’ capabilities, which have been in use from the 110 Combat Wing in Larissa for months, satisfy Greece’s surveillance requirements to a large extent, and they can stay in the air for up to 27 hours. They have a projected range of 1,850 kilometers.
The Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea can be continuously monitored thanks to the 50,000-feet maximum flight level. Greece is also considering the purchase of Israeli Heron UAVs, which have been deployed on Skyros.
