Small EU nations go big on arms production, sending drones to the Ukrainian front and beyond

Описание: (3 Feb 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mosfilioti, Cyprus – 12 January 2026
1. Nose of H-10 Poseidon drone at army camp during hand-over ceremony of a number of drones to Cyprus National Guard
2. National Guardsmen positioning drone for demonstration flight
3. Close of soldiers preparing drone for flight
4. Sign indicating drone’s specifications, including weight, range and maximum flight altitude
5. Various of drone hovering over army camp during demonstration flight
6. Greek, Cyprus National Guard, and Cyprus flags
7. Sign identifying building belonging to Cyprus National Guard's Artillery Command
8. Gary Rafalovsky, director of Swarmly, Cyprus-based company manufacturing H-10 Poseidon, speaking to reporters
9. Close of patch on Rafalovsky's jacket sleeve
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Gary Rafalovsky, Swarmly director:
"It is designed to work with artillery or with FPVs as the, what we call the RSTA, reconnaissance surveillance target acquisition. So basically it's a low-altitude, two kilometers above ground, system, which allows you to identify the targets and adjust the fire of the artillery."
11. Soldier saluting by drone
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Gary Rafalovsky, Swarmly director:
"We started basically in 2022, early, and we supply that to them. And so that's pretty much, yes. It has probably over 100,000 flight hours over there in all sorts of conditions, day and night, and probably we supply, again, over 200 units over there."

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Ypsonas, Cyprus - 27 January 2026
13. Ukrainian flag signed by former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Cyprus flag and flag bearing insignia of a Ukrainian unit using Swarmly drones, on wall
14. Various of employees attaching propellers to H-10 Poseidon drone
15. H-10 Poseidon drones on assembly line on factory floor with employees working in background
16. Employees making notes
17. Close of employee using sander on drone component
18. Wide of employee sanding drone component as another in background inspects a part
19. Mid of front of upgraded H-12 Poseidon drone
20. Close of engine
21. Wide of upgraded H-12 Poseidon drone on factory floor
22. A 50-caliber machine gun mounted on Hydra V5 marine drone
23. Wider of Hydra V5 marine drone with Rafalovsky explaining drone's operational capabilities
24. Close of Hydra V2 marine drone's camera with Rafalovsky speaking in background
25. Banner on factory wall

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nicosia, Cyprus - 16 January 2026
26. Panayiotis Hadjipavlis, director of the Armaments and Defense Capabilities Development Directorate of the Cyprus Defense Ministry, walking toward Defense Ministry building’s entrance
27. Cyprus Defense Ministry sign
28. SOUNDBITE (English) Panayiotis Hadjipavlis, director of the Armaments and Defense Capabilities Development Directorate of the Cyprus Defense Ministry:
"This shows the capabilities that small countries have and have to be exploited by the European Union. As I said before, we have niche capabilities on very high-tech products and this has to be taken seriously into account from the European Union and also from our partners, the primes, let's say, the companies that they are pioneers in the defense industry and they dominate the defense industry, the European ones."
29. Cypriot National Guard insignia

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mosfilioti, Cyprus – 12 January 2025
30. Various of drone as it prepares to take off for demonstration flight
STORYLINE:



Most of the factory floor is reserved for uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacture.









Take Swarmly's explosives-packed, satellite-guided Hydra marine drone.



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