The day was particularly for the National Guard because it verified that Cyprus can produce technologically advanced solutions, competitive at an international level and have a role in the innovation and defense technology ecosystem, Chief of Force, Lieutenant General Emmanuel Theodorou has said.
Lieutenant Theodorou was delivering a speech at a 12 January ceremony during which the National Guard received two Poseidon H10 unmanned aerial vehicles as well as a Command and Control system that were provided by the company Swarmly Ltd. The ceremony took place at Patroklos Kokkinos Camp in Mosfiloti village in the Larnaca district.
The Chief of the National Guard expressed his warm gratitude to the company for the valuable offer, ''which constitutes a significant investment in national security and practical proof of the possibility of domestic production of defense systems and the prospective development of the Cyprus defense industry.''
Lieutenant Theodorou went on to say that the Poseidon unmanned aerial vehicle is already being used in real conditions in Ukraine and has met the requirements of a modern, high-intensity operational environment.
The Chief of the National Guard said that in modern operational reality, the power of artillery is not determined only by calibre or range, but by the ability to quickly and accurately target and access to real-time information.
''The operational integration of Poseidon into the Artillery Observation Command of the Artillery Command contributes precisely in this direction,” he explained.
He also hailed the fact that organisations and companies have the willingness to contribute, to the extent that each is capable, to the improvement of the National Guard through small actions of great added value.
Chief Theodorou also noted that the systems will be utilised to the maximum in order to contribute to the mission strengthening and operational effectiveness of the Artillery Command and the National Guard as a whole.
The daily order was read by Artillery Colonel Costas Pavlides who noted that the event is not just a formal ceremony, but an act with substantial symbolism that reflects the contribution, respect, as well as the mission and work of the National Guard and especially the Artillery weapon.
He explained that the unmanned aerial vehicle and the control vehicle are not simply means of material value, but symbolise duty, discipline, self-denial, faith in duty and the ideals that characterise the human potential of the National Guard.
He went on to say that the National Guard is a pillar of security, stability and national dignity.
The unmanned system delivered to the National Guard is of Cypriot manufacture and origin, has the ability to perform vertical takeoff and landing, a maximum operating range of 50 kilometers, and the ability to perform day and night targeting and for artillery fire corrections.
(Source: CNA)
