The Parliament in Greece has approved more than €1 billion in defense procurements, including ten VICTA Diver Delivery Units from SubSea Craft and ten V-BAT reconnaissance VTOL drones from Shield AI.
On June 11, 2026, the Special Permanent Committee on Armament Programs and Contracts of the Hellenic Parliament approved eight defense procurement programs worth more than €1 billion for the Hellenic Armed Forces. Among them is a program for the acquisition of ten VICTA Diver Delivery Units (DDUs) from the British SubSea Craft (SSC) and ten V-BAT reconnaissance Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) from US company Shield AI.
Shield AI V-BAT VTOL UAS
Regarding the V-BAT (designated as the MQ-35A), according to defencepoint.gr, six systems (12 aircraft and associated mission payloads) will be assigned to the Hellenic Army, while four systems (8 aircraft and associated mission payloads) will be delivered to the Hellenic Navy, with a two-year Follow-On Support (FOS) package included.
The €71 million program will be implemented over a four-year period through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA). The V-BAT systems are already in service with the Hellenic Armed Forces. Two systems, comprising four aircraft, were acquired through a €5.75 million donation from shipowner Athanasios Laskaridis, with their official induction into service taking place on 14 May 2025.
The V-BAT will provides tremendous intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting capabilities to the Hellenic Armed Forces. The acquisition of more platforms will increase Greece’s ability to maintain persistent maritime awareness and security in areas where traditional runway-dependent systems are harder to deploy and sustain.
V-BAT is exceptionally well-suited for operations in Greece, where forces operate across dispersed islands, remote coastlines, deep valleys, mountain ranges, and complex maritime environments. V-BAT has proven itself in combat operations in Ukraine, including in GPS- and communications-denied environments, and was built for exactly these kinds of operational realities. We are proud to deepen our partnership with Greece and the Hellenic Armed Forces,
James Lythgoe, regional director of Eastern and Southeast Europe at Shield AI
The system has been already selected by the Navies of the United States, the Netherleands, Japan and Romania. Except for the V-BAT, the Hellenic Navy has recently contracted four Schiebel CAMCOPTER S-100 systems (each with two aircraft). These will equip the three Kimon-class frigates, along with the Navy’s training center in Marathon, although the system may be reassigned to other frigates if operational requirements change. According to G. Sideris of hellasjournal.com, there is also an intention to procure a fifth system in order to equip the fourth FDI HN frigate Themistocles (F-600) currently under construction.
VICTA Diver Delivery Unit
Regarding the VICTA DDU, the program is valued at €145 million. According to defencepoint.gr, six craft are intended for the Special Warfare Command (SWC) of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff (HNDGS), while four craft are designated for the Underwater Demolition Command (UDC) of the Hellenic Navy. The procurement package also includes Follow-On Support (FOS).
VICTA combines the characteristics of a fast surface craft with those of a submersible. It is a next-generation maritime delivery platform capable of conducting high-speed surface transits before rapidly transitioning into a submerged, wet sub-surface mode for the covert insertion of personnel and equipment. This is is enabled by an innovative fly-by-wire control system. While the baseline configuration is optimized for the clandestine delivery of special operations forces, its modular payload architecture allows the platform to be quickly reconfigured for a variety of mission profiles. A standardized rail system enables the carriage of operators, mission equipment, combat supplies, or specialized payloads, providing exceptional operational flexibility.
Impressive performance on the surface (40kts and 250nm endurance) is matched by equally striking specification under water where 4hrs endurance is sufficient to navigate 2 crew and 6 divers for 25nm. Compatibility with a standard 40ft ISO shipping container makes it widely deployable.
The platform can support a wide range of missions across the full spectrum of combat functions, including Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), fires, manoeuvre, force protection, command and control, and combat service support, delivering tactical effects in support of broader operational and strategic objectives.
Naval News understands that the VICTA units for Greece will be constructed at the Skaramangas Shipyards under a partnership agreement with the manufacturer in Portsmouth, with more than 25 percent of the program’s value expected to be returned to the Greek industrial base. Furthermore, plans are reportedly being developed for the construction of an additional ten (10) VICTA systems in Greece for another NATO navy, potentially establishing Skaramangas as a regional production hub for the platform.
