Filenews 27 October 2025 - by Andreas Pagiatzis
New technologies have taken over the battlefield and this is clearly demonstrated in the ongoing war in Ukraine. Drones, autonomous ground and sea systems, sensors, and jamming systems, play a crucial role in day-to-day operations.
All this does not go unnoticed by the Ministry of Defense and the NGGS, whose staffs are informed and are examining these new technologies. According to information from Filenews, the procedures for acquiring such systems for the National Guard are underway.
As we are informed, unmanned aircraft, armed and unarmed, as well as loitering ammunition systems, are in the plans and on the list of equipment of the National Guard.
The purpose and plan of the Ministry of Defense is for the National Guard to move into the era of unmanned systems and meet its needs in areas such as intelligence, surveillance, target detection and reconnaissance (ISTAR), but also to acquire drones with strike capability.
Now, the NGSS and the Ministry of Defense are oriented towards the use of these technologies to meet the modern needs and requirements that arise, always based on the Cypriot field. It is worth mentioning that since last March, the National Guard has announced positions to meet the needs of the "External Pilot (EP)" specialty for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), while training activities related to drones have also been announced.
Cyprus Defence Industry
It has been reported many times that the Cypriot defence industry has shown leaps and bounds forward. Some specific products from companies specializing in the development and production of drones do not go unnoticed by the Ministry of Defense.
At this stage, there are companies in Cyprus that can develop armament programs, suitable not only for the needs of the National Guard, but also for the general strengthening of the security forces against external and internal threats.
As we are in a position to know, there is communication between the Ministry of Defense and these companies and depending on the needs of the National Guard, agreements are expected to emerge in the coming period. Several National Guard Units have already been equipped with drones voluntarily, in order to facilitate their operational needs.
Roving Ammunition
As for roving ammunition, these are weapons that combine missile and drone characteristics. They launch or take off, "roam" over the field for a time that varies and at the right moment they head towards the target, activating their warhead and destroying the target.
The procedures are already underway and products from various countries both inside and outside the European Union are being examined. Of course, the lifting of the US embargo on the purchase of weapons by the Republic of Cyprus creates favourable conditions for the purchase of new technologies, however the significant cost of the American market is taken into account in the equation.
However, the "traditional" arms sellers of Cyprus (France, Serbia, Israel) can meet this need, as they have these systems in production.
