Velos Rotors Details Redundant Electric V3 Unmanned Helicopter and Defense Variant Plans
Greek manufacturer Velos Rotors says its Velos V3 is a 25-kilogram-class, electric unmanned helicopter built around a single main rotor, tail rotor and a patented twin-transmission arrangement. In a September 1 interview, founder and CEO Aris Kolokythas said the company began its aircraft development in 2011 and was founded in 2014. The company says it supplies aircraft, payload integration, training and technical support rather than operating aerial missions itself.
Velos lists the V3 as a Group II unmanned helicopter powered by four 48-volt lithium-polymer battery packs. Its published specifications describe a carbon-fiber airframe, a three-blade main rotor, a three-blade tail rotor and payload capability of less than 10 kilograms. Velos says the twin transmission is designed to isolate a failed drivetrain component and permit a controlled landing; that performance claim has not been independently validated in the available reporting.
The interview also describes the D-Fend series, based on the V3 and the newer tandem-rotor V-Twin, as a defense-oriented configuration with GPS-denied navigation, encrypted data links and satellite communications. Velos says it has participated in Greek military exercises and exports most of its systems, but the article does not identify contracts, customers, quantities or operational deployments. An entry in Greece’s National Startup Registry separately identifies the company as a Greek manufacturer of electric unmanned helicopters and dates the V3’s introduction to 2021.
Why it matters
The V3 illustrates continued interest in conventional helicopter layouts for unmanned missions requiring endurance, payload flexibility and the ability to integrate specialized sensors. Its redundant propulsion and defense-configuration claims warrant attention, but prospective operators will need independently documented reliability data, regulatory approvals and mission evidence before treating them as established capability.
Source: Militär Aktuell interview with Velos Rotors founder Aris Kolokythas
