- Radio silence from the Ministry of National Defense, did not respond to the inquiries of data journalists.
- How armored is the frigate?
- Three engineers, one from the frigate HYDRA and two others who were supposed to replace him preferred to resign from the Navy rather than give the green light for the ship’s departure.
- What company supplied the anti-drone system, and what is its connection to a spying scandal in the late 1980s?
- Why, while leaks from the Pentagon suggest that all is “well” with the anti-drone system, are other companies being urged to equip the next frigate to replace the HYDRA in the Red Sea?
Paris Karvounopoulos
Mission in a dangerous area for the frigate HYDRA. This is what Defense Minister Nikos Dendias has said many times, which is why there are many important questions about the “armoring” of the frigate against the threats it faces in the Red Sea and during the ASPIDES mission. The number one risk is the Houthis’ drones, which even much newer and more advanced warships from other countries, such as the Danish frigate Iver Huitfeldt – a ship built in 2011 – have had serious problems dealing with. The frigate shot down the Houthi drone after 30 minutes of agony, during which key systems of the ship failed to function. Denmark withdrew its frigate and its navy chief resigned.
The Greek government hastened to announce its presence in the ASPIDES mission, knowing the problems arising from the age of the fleet’s frigates. It is noteworthy that, as stated by Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, only four EU member states have frigates participating in the mission. Among them is Greece, which has by far the oldest fleet. Why such eagerness?
The problems of the frigates are well known and became apparent during the preparations for the departure of the frigate.
It is significant that three engineers, one from the frigate HYDRA and two others who were called to replace him, chose to resign from the Navy rather than give the green light for the ship’s departure.
The technical problems weren’t the biggest headache for the Navy’s leadership, which apparently didn’t support the engineers’ stance and didn’t want to go against the government’s decision. The main issue was and remains the protection of the frigate and its crew from the Houthis’ drones. The frigate’s systems are not designed to deal with such threats, and the only solution was to install an anti-drone system on the HYDRA.
A few days after the announcement of the HYDRA’s mission, a photo of the anti-drone system on the deck, mounted on a tripod similar to a television camera, was leaked to websites – apparently not by chance.
The speed with which such a critical system for the frigate’s safety was selected certainly raised questions. How was it selected? We looked in vain for a competitive bidding process, which was apparently overridden by the excuse of urgency.
Where did the anti-drone system on the frigate come from? Some information suggests that it came from China and was “adapted” for use in Greece.
We found one version in a photo from the DEFEA defense equipment exhibition held in Athens in 2023. The photo is from the booth of a company called Drones Solutions Defense.
We didn’t have to look far to find the person who undertook to work on it and install it on the frigate. The system was designed and manufactured by Mr. Anastasios Angelopoulos, head of A.B.A. Electronics. Does this company have any experience with anti-drone systems?
Until recently, there was no mention of it on their website.
In its updated form, the company’s website lists “neutralizing malicious drones” as one of its services.
Basically, A.B.A. Electronics is an electronic systems workshop, but there are serious doubts about whether a country can procure an anti-drone system for a naval vessel of its fleet from such a source.
How, when and with what results the system was tested is unknown. From photos taken from the public profile of the head of A.B.A. Electronics, it appears that many, if not all, of the tests of the systems they handle are conducted in a residential garage.
As can be seen in the video, several of A.B.A Electronics’ system tests are conducted at the home of its head, Anastasios Angelopoulos.
Who is Anastasios Angelopoulos
The head of A.B.A. Electronics is Mr. Anastasios Angelopoulos, who has been active in the field of surveillance and anti-surveillance systems for many years. It is noteworthy that he has been asked to search for “bugs” even in ministerial offices. The photo is from the office of Michalis Chrisochoidis when he was Minister of Health.
His specialization in surveillance issues and systems is probably undeniable due to his long involvement, as reflected in the photo with the expert in the field, Christos Mavrikis, known from the wiretapping scandal in the early 1990s during the government of Konstantinos Mitsotakis.
Anastasios Angelopoulos was in the Greek news at the end of the 1980s. Between 1988 and 1989, a pirate channel broadcasting after midnight on the state-owned ET 2 frequency kept Greece awake. The reason was the content of the pirate channel, which was nothing but pornographic movies. Anastasios Angelopoulos was the channel’s technical director.
Of course, all that is in the past. Since then, Mr. Angelopoulos has been working on security systems, mainly in the field of telecommunications. He has a reputation as someone who likes to experiment, but was he able to create an effective anti-drone system to protect the fleet’s frigate? The Data Journalists sent written questions to A.B.A. Electronics. They were not answered in writing, but there was a telephone conversation with a company executive. From this it appears that “all of these technologies are essentially being tested in the field.
The (non)answers of the Ministry of Defense and the Chief of the Navy
The big questions raised by all this, however, cannot be answered by Mr. Angelopoulos or anyone else in his company. With what guarantees and security assurances did Greece decide to participate in a mission that the Minister of National Defense, Nikos Dendias, himself has stated is dangerous? How was it decided so quickly and without pressure from anyone to send an aging warship on a mission dominated by threats from “new and cheap technology”? How was the anti-drone system chosen so hastily and without exploring other solutions? The fact that another solution is being urgently sought, and that presentations have already been made to the Navy to equip the frigate that will replace the HYDRA with a different protection system, is proof that something went wrong with the choice. How is it possible, after the deadly fiasco in Libya, where we lost 5 people, 3 soldiers and 2 civilians, due to hasty planning and superficiality, to send a Navy frigate on a mission with such urgency and without ensuring the minimum of its safety?
Questions to the Ministry of Defense…
Data Journalists sent written questions to the Information Directorate of the Ministry of National Defense. They received no answer. The questions were
To the Information Directorate of the Ministry of National Defense,
Dear Director,
The journalistic team of Data Journalists is going to publish a report about the operation of the frigate HYDRA in the Red Sea. For this reason, we are submitting in writing some of the information that has come to light about the ship’s equipment, and we would like your response:
- How was the anti-drone system for the HYDRA frigate selected?
- Was there an evaluation of different systems, or was this particular system chosen directly?
- Was it tested before the frigate was deployed, and what were the results of the tests?
- Is it of foreign or Greek origin?
- Has the Greek company involved in the installation been involved in anti-drone systems in the past? There is no previous experience on their website.
- Do you know if the owner of the company has been involved in cases of TV piracy in the past?
- Is it true that during the voyage of the frigate HYDRA there were problems with the operation of the anti-drone system in the ship’s systems?
- Is it true that other companies have been invited to the Salamis Naval Base to present their systems so that one of them can be installed on the frigate that will replace the HYDRA?
…and radio silence.
“We have not received a response by the time this investigation was published.
The search for anti-drone equipment for the frigate that will replace the HYDRA will continue at the Naval Station in the coming weeks.
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