In a major issue, the effort to cover the critical infrastructure of the Republic of Cyprus from all kinds of aggressive operations with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) seems to be unfolding.
This is because both competitions to install an anti-drone shield in important state installations have not been successful.
It is indicative that the latest attempt to acquire mobile units for protection against unmanned aircrafts has been terminated at its inception.
Specifically, the competition to acquire two mobile units was announced at the end of February; however, for reasons that were not explained, it was cancelled last Wednesday by the contracting authority, which is the Cyprus Police.
The message bearing the signature of the head of the Economic Directorate of the Police Headquarters, sent to all interested parties, states: “The competition titled D.O. 28/2024 for the Supply and Installation of Portable Critical Infrastructure Protection Systems against Unmanned Aircraft threats has been cancelled by the responsible competition officer.”
This development is at least concerning, as neither the other attempt to resolve the issue positively has been successful. The reason is the contract that was signed with a company in 2021, providing for the installation of an anti-drone shield in five important installations, but it is behind schedule.
As appropriately reported to us by the Cyprus Police, the contracting company requested an extension for the implementation of the 1st and 2nd phases of the contract due to factors related to military operations in the Middle East.
We were informed that the project would be delivered by the end of 2024; however, with the new developments, it is postponed to 2025.
No further clarification was provided due to the nature of the whole issue.
The said contract provides for the installation of units at the Presidential Palace, Police Headquarters, Central Prisons, as well as at Larnaca and Paphos airports. It also provided for the delivery of portable units.
Since the new competition for portable units was cancelled, not even a month after its announcement, there is concern.
