UASUV 2017 Med Unmanned Vehicles Technology | Page 13
And there are sources considering these predictions quite conservative. Over 17 mil. of drones have
been sold worldwide for the last two years. And although many of them have been used for
recreational purposes, it is the same kind of technology coming from - and adding to - the high-end,
sophisticated UAVs which are used for military/defense, scientific and research purposes.
Speaking about research and development, it would be interesting to see that right now in the US, the
number of companies which are licensed by FAA to perform operations with drones is much higher than
the number of companies which are licensed to operate in manned aviation. And this number is rapidly
and progressively increasing…
Regarding the use of UAVs for military purposes, we could say that this is a relatively complex deal,
especially considering what was happening a couple of years ago. It is now obvious that a lot of manned
operations can be performed by UAVs which is very important because when you plan an operation
your goal is to succeed. The increasing number of operations with the use of UAVs indicates that the
level and the reliability of the existing technology is high and failures are of the same percentage as of
the manned operations. Nowadays the UAVs are probably the most up-to-date, cost and life-effective
way of achieving national security and defense objectives.
The UXV manufacturing and development sector seems to be a great opportunity for the Hellenic
Defense Industry and its members. Not only because our existing resources, facility and personnel-wise
are more than adequate for us to become key players in this market. But also because the demands for
the Development of such an industry sector fit perfectly on the size and needs of a country - of a
market - like Greece. Manufacturing and developing UAVs do not require any established heavy
industry. Probably the most demanding part in undertaking such a project would be to maintain and
develop its software. For Greece which has a plethora of scientists in a sustainable cost compared to
other countries, that shouldn’t be a problem …but a key competitive advantage.
Defense Industry must by its nature always be at the cutting edge of technology. Almost every modern
technological achievement began directly or indirectly through research of defense systems. For a
country like ours where there is no heavy commercial industry (we do not have a car industry, extended
commercial electronics industry, etc.), it is vital to monitor technological improvement in all sorts of
systems and applications through their use in the Defense Industry …and the UAVs should be no
exception to this rule.
Is there a fertile ground in the Greek market for the UAVs to penetrate after having been manufactured
and applied for defense purposes? Will there be a dividend for Greece after the drones’ development
through the defense industry? The answer is definitely a “YES”.
For a country like ours that has been repeatedly stroke by fires, the UAVs’ aerial surveillance, along with
other capacities developed upon demand, can play an important role in the prevention and deterrence
of forest fires.
For Greece that wants to use its “primary production” as a growth locomotive, the use of drones could
revolutionize Agriculture, through the “soil and field analysis capacities” that drones can provide,
through innovative planting techniques, through crop monitoring and spraying.
For an island country like Greece, a country with a significant number of non-accessible areas the UAVs’
usage by hospitals, for blood transportation, transportation of surgical tools, for all sorts of medical
material, or even for first aid services will be priceless.
And so will be the contribution of our (defense) Industry to the aforementioned achievements.
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