Cyprus and Greece are preparing a joint programme for the development and co production of an unmanned combat aerial vehicle under the European Union’s SAFE defence funding framework.

According to Kathimerini, the initiative aims to support the development of defence technology capabilities through cooperation between the two countries and participation in the EU programme, which provides financing for defence industry projects among member states.

The development comes after Greek defence technology company ALTUS-LSA announced successful live fire tests of its unmanned combat aircraft Kerveros, named after Cerberus the hound of Hades in ancient Greek mythology, in cooperation with European defence company MBDA.

During the trials, carried out in Chania, Crete, the system successfully launched MBDA’s Akeron MP anti-tank missile.

The Kerveros model is based on the company’s ATLAS 8 drone which likewise equipped with missile capabilities.