With their technological and industrial potential clearly evident, the companies of EFA GROUP demonstrated their ability to contribute substantially to the operational evaluation process “Trojan Horse 26”, which was organized by the Hellenic Center for Defense Innovation (ELKAK), with the support of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff and the three Branches of the Armed Forces, in Western Peloponnese and the Ionian Sea, from 8 to 11 June 2026, according to a relevant announcement.
The companies of EFA GROUP - UCANDRONE, ES SYSTEMS, SCYTALYS and STHENOS AI -drawing on their distinct experience, collaboratively developed an integrated 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 developed capabilities in multiple categories of unmanned systems, participating in a variety of scenarios. The UAVs AQUILA, MERA and BLACKBIRD took part in the evaluation, while at the same time the USV “ARGO” and a mini UUV were also presented, highlighting the capabilities of combined operational use of aerial and maritime assets.
For the first time, the Autonomy System was activated, which, through the Core Node, enabled the interconnection and coordination of UAV, USV and UUV 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 capability already being tested in the field”, stated Dimitris Stefanakis, President of UCANDRONE.
ES SYSTEMS participated with the advanced C-UAS CERBERUS system, which was evaluated in operational scenarios of drone detection, tracking and countering. The system combines multiple detection and countermeasure technologies, offering a comprehensive operational picture and effective management of drone threats, meeting modern C-UAS requirements.
Decisive was the contribution of SCYTALYS and STHENOS AI, which provided the critical C2, mission management and AI capabilities. With SCYTALYS’s MIMS Ranger and MIMS C2 platforms combined with STHENOS AI’s AI applications, a unified operational picture was formed, enabling the interconnection of sensors, platforms and decision-making systems.
“The operational evaluation 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 interoperable end-to-end solutions with substantial operational value, strengthening the role of collaborative development and continuous evaluation in shaping a competitive defense industry.” stated Giorgos Gkekas, CTO of the “Mission Systems, Simulation & Training” (MSST) Cluster of EFA GROUP.