Camcopter S-100 for Greece: Hellenic Navy equips new FDI frigates with Schiebel drones

When it comes to unmanned reconnaissance on its newly built frigates, the Hellenic Navy is turning to technology from Austria. The Greek navy has signed the contract to procure the Camcopter S-100, an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) – this was made public in Vienna on 13 February. The systems will be deployed on board the new Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention (FDI) of the Belharra class.

Specifically, three ships will receive the drones: “HS Kimon”, “HS Nearchos” and “HS Formion”. The “HS Kimon” comes first: the ship arrived in Greece in January and will be fitted with the S-100 as early as spring. One additional system will remain ashore and serve education and training purposes. The first group of Greek crews is also due to have completed training by spring 2026.

The two remaining FDI frigates will follow in stages – the “HS Nearchos” is expected at the end of 2026 and the “HS Formion” at the beginning of 2027. Because Naval Group, as the building yard, has already prepared the ships for integration of the S-100, the systems can be installed and made operational quickly.

What capabilities the Camcopter S-100 brings to the navy

The Greek systems carry a Wescam MX-10 – an electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) camera – and the Overwatch Imaging PT-8 Oceanwatch. This broadens the navy’s range of capabilities in several areas: environmental monitoring, search and rescue as well as maritime security, anti-submarine warfare and control of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Hans Georg Schiebel, Chairman of the Schiebel Group, regards the contract as an important milestone: “We are extraordinarily proud that the Camcopter S-100 is the UAS solution of choice for the Hellenic Navy. With its proven maritime performance, endurance and payload capacity, the S-100 will significantly improve situational awareness for commanders and further strengthen the operational capabilities of Greek surface units.”

More and more navies worldwide are relying on the Austrian-developed UAS – with its choice, Greece now joins them. According to a Schiebel press release, the move also underlines a trend: unmanned systems are becoming an integral part of the sensor-to-effector chain of modern surface combatants.