Greece, which is armed with V-BAT vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle by Shield AI, which are also in service with the Defense Forces of Ukraine, is building a permanent base for these drones, which are part of the he 472nd Surveillance and Intelligence Battalion (Greek: 472 Τάγμα Επιτήρησης Πληροφορικής - 472 ΤΕΠ) of the Greek Armed Forces, at the Maritsa military airfield on the island of Rhodes. This will be the first permanent base for these UAVs, which have so far operated from temporary or improvised sites.
According to the Hellenic Defence, the base will be used not only for launches, but also to provide technical support for the drones. The new facility will have "huge operational importance" for the Greek military, as it will be possible to conduct 24-hour surveillance of the southeastern Aegean Sea.
Read more: Tested in Ukraine V-BAT Drone Could Monitor russia's Arctic Activity in Extreme Cold
As noted, the V-BAT reconnaissance UAVs can act as a "flying eye" for air defense systems, in particular for the Patriot surface-to-air missile (SAM) system – they say, the drone will cover the "blind spots" of radar at low altitudes and use its own payload to record enemy UAVs, helicopters or cruise missiles.
From the Defense Express side, we note that such a plan may have its drawbacks, since it is noted that, allegedly using V-BAT as a means of detecting targets, Patriot SAM systems can turn on their radars at the last moment to launch a missile and, thus, not reveal their position and have less risk of being detected and destroyed by, for example, anti-radar missiles.
But relying solely on UAVs in the context of target detection can be a rather risky venture – especially since an unmanned aerial vehicle is not a means of detecting ballistic missiles, and the Patriot SAM with PAC-3 MSE missiles is an effective means of combating enemy ballistic missiles. At the same time, the V-BAT can be a really interesting and useful auxiliary tool.
The V-BAT VTOL UAV can stay in the air for more than 12 hours, carry a 18 kg payload. At the same time, it is worth noting that the official website of the Shield AI company does not disclose the speed which these UAVs can reach.
Earlier this year, Defense Express reported that the Greek military highly appreciated the V-BAT drones tested in Ukraine, so the country decided to buy more of these unmanned systems. Recall that two years ago it became known that Ukraine was secretly testing these drones.
Read more: Secretly Tested in Ukraine V-BAT Drones Now Armed with Missiles — Could Ukraine Get Such Configuration?
