Demonstrating their technological and industrial capabilities, the companies of the EFA GROUP demonstrated their ability to contribute substantially to the “Trojan Horse 26” operational evaluation exercise, organized by the Hellenic Center for Defense Innovation (ELKAK), with the support of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff (G.E.E.TH.A.) and the three branches of the Armed Forces, in the Western Peloponnese and the Ionian Sea, from June 8 to 11, 2026, according to a related announcement.
The companies of the EFA GROUP—UCANDRONE, ES SYSTEMS, SCYTALYS, and STHENOS AI—drawing on their distinct expertise, have collaboratively developed a comprehensive network-centric architecture that combines sensors, C-UAS systems (ES SYSTEMS), unmanned platforms (UCANDRONE), as well as C2 systems and AI applications (SCYTALYS and STHENOS AI).
UCANDRONE demonstrated capabilities across multiple categories of unmanned systems, participating in a variety of scenarios. The AQUILA, MERA, and BLACKBIRD UAVs participated in the evaluation, while the “ARGO” USV and a mini UUV were also showcased, highlighting the capabilities of combined operational use of aerial and maritime assets.
The Autonomy System was activated for the first time; through the Core Node, it enabled the interconnection and coordination of UAVs, USVs, and UUVs as a single collaborative system with minimal human intervention.
“The results of the evaluation confirm that autonomy and collaborative operation technologies are maturing rapidly, paving the way for new operational capabilities. The transition to network-centric and autonomous operations is now a reality that is already being tested in the field,” said Dimitris Stefanakis, President of UCANDRONE.
ES SYSTEMS participated with its advanced C-UAS CERBERUS system, which was evaluated in operational scenarios involving the detection, tracking, and countermeasures against drones. The system combines multiple detection and countermeasure technologies, offering a comprehensive operational picture and effective management of drone threats, meeting modern C-UAS requirements.
SCYTALYS and STHENOS AI made a decisive contribution by providing the critical C2, mission management, and AI capabilities. Using SCYTALYS’s MIMS Ranger and MIMS C2 platforms in combination with STHENOS AI’s AI applications, a unified operational picture was established, enabling the interconnection of sensors, platforms, and decision-making systems.
“The operational assessment of EFA GROUP’s capabilities across the full spectrum of operations highlighted the dynamism of the Greek defense and technology ecosystem, confirming that collaboration in realistic scenarios accelerates capability development and transforms innovation into operational readiness.
“The exercise confirmed the ability to produce end-to-end interoperable solutions with substantial operational value, reinforcing the role of collaborative development and continuous evaluation in shaping a competitive defense industry,” said George Gekas, CTO of the EFA GROUP’s “Mission Systems, Simulation & Training” (MSST) Cluster.