The dual-use defense technology EFA GROUP demonstrated its technological and industrial capabilities during the operational evaluation exercise “Doureios Ippos 26”, organized by the Hellenic Center for Defense Innovation (HCDI – ELKAK), with the support of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff and the three branches of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The exercise took place in the Western Peloponnese and the Ionian Sea from June 8th to 11th, 2026.
Leveraging their respective expertise, the EFA GROUP companies – UCANDRONE, ES SYSTEMS, SCYTALYS and STHENOS AI – jointly developed an integrated network-centric architecture that connected sensors and C-UAS systems (ES SYSTEMS), unmanned platforms (UCANDRONE), C2 systems and AI applications (SCYTALYS and STHENOS AI), within a single operational environment.
UCANDRONE participated in a range of operational scenarios involving different categories of unmanned systems. The AQUILA, MERA and BLACKBIRD UAVs were deployed during the evaluation, while the “ARGO” USV and a mini UUV were also presented, demonstrating the potential for coordinated operations across air and maritime domain. For the first time, the UAVs, USVs and UUVs operated collaboratively as a single autonomous system, connected and coordinated through the Core Node with minimal human intervention.
UCANDRONE Comments:
“The results of the evaluation confirm that autonomy and collaborative-operation technologies are rapidly maturing, paving the way for new operational capabilities. The transition towards network-centric and autonomous operations is no longer a future concept, but a capability already being tested in the field,” said Dimitris Stefanakis, President of UCANDRONE.
ES SYSTEMS participated with its advanced CERBERUS C-UAS system, tested in realistic scenarios involving the detection, tracking and mitigation of drones. By combining multiple detection and countermeasure technologies, CERBERUS provides operators with a complete operational picture and supports the effective management of drone threats in line with modern C-UAS requirements.
SCYTALYS and STHENOS AI also played a key role by providing critical C2, mission-management and AI capabilities. Through the integration of SCYTALYS’ MIMS Ranger and MIMS C2 platforms with STHENOS AI applications, a unified operational picture was created, enabling the interconnection of sensors, platforms and decision-support systems.
EFA Group Comments:
“The operational evaluation of EFA GROUP’s capabilities across the full spectrum of operations highlighted the strength of the Hellenic defense and technology ecosystem. It confirmed that collaboration under realistic operational scenarios accelerates capability development and transforms innovation into operational readiness. The exercise demonstrated our ability to deliver interoperable, end-to-end solutions with tangible operational value, while reinforcing the importance of collaborative development and continuous evaluation in building a competitive defense industry,” said Georgios Gkekas, CTO of EFA GROUP’s Mission Systems, Simulation & Training (MSST) Cluster.
