The Cyprus Police on 20 October published a European-wide tender worth up to €20 million for two Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) dedicated to border and maritime surveillance. The nine-year contract — posted on both the national e-procurement portal and the EU’s TED database — covers aircraft, ground stations, training and long-term maintenance, with funding expected largely from EU internal-security instruments. The move reflects Nicosia’s push to cement the sharp reduction in irregular arrivals registered along the UN-patrolled Green Line and in Cypriot coastal waters. European Commission figures show detections fell from 16,627 in 2022 to 2,433 in 2025 after Cyprus tightened asylum screening and stepped-up returns. Officials believe high-end drones, already used by Frontex in the central Mediterranean, will allow faster interception of boats and help police track smugglers who exploit the buffer zone’s blind spots. The tender does not specify models, but industry sources mention Elbit’s Hermes 900 and Schiebel’s Camcopter S-100 as likely contenders, given their proven integration with EUROSUR. The systems must stream real-time video to Larnaca ATC and the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, raising data-protection questions. Civil-liberties groups are calling for strict rules on facial-recognition capabilities and storage limits for footage. For airlines and corporate travel managers, the aerial surveillance plan has mixed implications. Enhanced situational awareness could reduce last-minute diversions caused by migrant interceptions near Larnaca’s approach paths, but temporary segregated airspace for drone operations may trigger slot constraints during the busy summer 2027 season. Hermes Airports has asked the Department of Civil Aviation to design flight corridors that minimise impact on commercial traffic. Interested bidders have until 6 November to submit pre-qualification dossiers, with contract award expected in mid-2027. Once operational, the drones will also support search-and-rescue missions, a service of growing importance for oil-and-gas firms staging offshore operations from Limassol.
Source: Cyprus Times via Oulla.cy
