Barracuda produces Greece's first unmanned speedboat

Unmanned aerial vehicles have entered our lives for good, especially in the field of defense and security. It is no coincidence that the recent war between Azerbaijan and Armenia was determined by the Turkish UAV Bayraktar. Greece, in recent years, is trying to enter the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) market, but at a very slow pace. 

How interesting would it be, however, if there was a Greek company that would build not a UAV, but a USV (Unmanned Surface Vehicle - USV), which could be used by the Armed Forces in multiple missions and in many ways? Unmanned inflatables have already been manufactured by a Greek company, Barracuda, which in 1992 moved its headquarters to Athens, from France where it was founded in 1986.

Barracuda manufactures boats, however 75% of its production is inflatable boats for the Armed Forces, as it is a defense industry company certified by the Ministry of Defense, which has the ability to offer a variety of products and services to the Armed Forces. It manufactures inflatable boats from 2.5 to 12.70 meters, perfectly adapted to the needs of the Armed Forces. Its boats are characterized by their durability and longevity, a fact that is proven by the multi-year warranty that accompanies them.

Armored boats, bulletproof, with anti-thermal paints (stealth technology), each with its own weapon systems, which are placed after studying the requirements and specifications of the armed forces. Vessels protecting the operator and crew from weather conditions and unmanned vessels capable of being operated from a distance.

Barracuda also manufactures floats and hood covers for helicopters and aircraft, drip tubes and a number of other applications for the Armed Forces. Indicative of the good cooperation that exists between Barracuda and the Greek Armed Forces are the awards it receives from them.
Barracuda is already trusted by foreign armed forces (Cyprus, Arab countries), entrusting it with the construction of many operational vessels, as well as large Greek and foreign shipyards, such as the Greek Shipyards Scaramanga, HDW, Austal Ships, etc.

Vessels with IDE electronic systems

For the past two years, Barracuda, with partners IDE (Intracom Defense), ALTUS and the Kapodistrian University, officially presented the first Greek USV named 597 SeaRider, through the OCEAN2020 program (Open Cooperation for European mAritime awareNess).

Following this, Barracuda developed it and built the USV (Unmanned Surface Vehicle - USV) 747 Multi Mission. It is a 7.65-meter inflatable, with a range of up to 500 nautical miles, which can either be used as a surveillance boat or can carry armaments (missile systems) and even conduct anti-submarine warfare. In maintenance costs are seen as being negligible when compared to what it offers, while it can be transported by a C-130 aircraft or a Chinook helicopter.