*Christos Loizou

Intracom Defense (IDE) had a dynamic presence for another year at the international defence and security exhibition DEFEA 2023 in Athens. The products presented by the company include the Greek loitering munition ATTALUS.

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ATTALUS technical characteristics:

• Length: 1.6 m
• Wingspan: 2.3 m
• Operational range: 50 km
• Endurance: 42 minutes
• Cruise Speed: 85 km/h
• Maximum altitude: 1500 m
• Maximum Take-off Weight: 13.6 kg
• Head: 1.25 kg HEAT

ATTALUS has an electric motor and is launched by a catapult system. It is operated through a pale case by 1 person who can operate up to 4 aircraft at the same time. The aim is to be integrated into an Armored Personnel Carrier (APC), while its design allows it to be integrated into a carrier vehicle available to the Hellenic Army. The system is mainly intended for anti-tank use. It uses artificial intelligence (AI) for target detection and categorization, while there is operator control throughout the process (man-in-the-loop).

Also read: INTRACOM DEFENSE (IDE) | Presentation of Innovative Products with an interest for the National Guard of Cyprus at EUROSATORY 2022

ATTALUS features day, night and thermal electro-optical systems as well as a GPS navigation system. It also uses jam resistance encrypted networks. Direct aircraft communication helps strengthen the network-centricity that the modern battlefield demands. The HEAT head can pierce a surface of 400 mm RHA, while the addition of other types of heads is being considered.

The project is self-financed together with the cooperating agencies. The research and development of the project has been undertaken by Intracom, which is also the Prime Contractor. Hellenic Defence Systems is responsible for the warhead, the University of Patras took over the aerodynamics department, the University of Crete the development of algorithms and Adamant the air vehicle. In the next 6 months, the first tests will be completed, while it is estimated that by the end of 2024 the system will be ready for production.

The sale of IDE to Israel’s IAI, which was announced during the exhibition, may open up new opportunities for the company in the field of peripheral munitions. IAI has been active in this field for several years and has extensive expertise with battlefield-tested systems, such as the Harop cruise munition used in the Nagorno-Karabakh war.

Also read: DEFEA 2023 | Intracom Defense at Israel’s IAI