ATHENS, October 2026 — The Hellenic Navy unveiled the Pyrpolitis USV on Tuesday at Skaramangas, showing its first fully home-built unmanned surface vessel after six months of secret work.
Defence Minister Nikos Dendias opened a new unmanned-systems training centre at the Palaskas base for the ceremony.
Because officers and NCOs worked outside their daily duties, teams finished the Pyrpolitis USV under strict secrecy, Kathimerini reported.
It is five metres long and can hit 40 knots. Crews can use it for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, surface attack and kamikaze strikes.
“All these initiatives are one piece of a single plan,” Dendias said, linking innovation, training, production and use at sea.
As a result, he said Greece aims to lead the European Union by 2030 in operational use of autonomous vehicles.
Pyrpolitis USV production plan
Mass production of the Pyrpolitis USV is now the next step. Then the navy plans to induct it into the fleet.
However, the display went wider than one craft. The Corsair from US firm Saronic, already used near the Strait of Hormuz, was also shown.
In addition, the navy has lined up two Italian Pluto Plus Plutino Miki underwater craft for mine hunting and kamikaze roles.
Wider unmanned fleet
Three surface boats from the defence staff research centre cover surface missions. Kanaris 1, Kanaris 2 and MESE run from 1.8 to 6.5 metres.
Greek firm Altus LSA supplies the Niriis for surveillance and environmental data. Still, the Naval Cadet School runs a Blue Boat hydrographic craft under the TRITON program with MIT.
Cadets wrote new AI software for that boat. They also wrote new software for the Portuguese Flexus system after finding its original code closed.
Greek City Times earlier reported that Greece was seeking Italian minehunters as the navy deepens its unmanned push.
Dendias said future operations will need new platforms on and under the sea. Specifically, Greece must design and build systems at home, not only buy them abroad, he said.
That path sits under the Ministry of National Defence Agenda 2030 plan. Further fleet detail sits with the Hellenic Navy.
Source: Kathimerini
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