A military parade will take place in Nicosia on October 1 to mark the 66th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus, with Cypriot and foreign officials expected to attend, including representatives from Greece, the UK, Egypt, France and the US.
According to a press release issued on Wednesday by the Ministry of Defence, President Nikos Christodoulides will receive the parade’s salute, accompanied by Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas, Greek Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias, National Guard Commander Lieutenant-General Emmanouel Theodorou and Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff Dimitrios Houpis.
The parade will also be attended by the Chief of the Defence Staff of the United Kingdom, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, as well as representatives of the armed forces of Egypt, France and the United States. Ambassadors, defence attachés and other dignitaries are also expected to attend, the ministry said.
The parade will be preceded by a 21-gun salute and will begin at 11am local time along Iosif Hadjiosif Avenue. It will feature motorised and infantry units, as well as aircraft, from the National Guard, Cyprus Police, Fire Service, Civil Defence, Department of Forests and Public Health Services.
New Cypriot-developed drones, heavy armour and air defence systems are expected to take centre stage at this year’s parade.
One of the main new additions will be a dedicated National Guard unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) unit, which will participate in the parade for the first time.
Several first-person-view (FPV) drone systems will be displayed, including systems designed for surveillance and reconnaissance, as well as a mobile FPV production unit.
The latter is particularly significant as it is intended to allow drones to be produced and technically supported in the field, giving the National Guard greater autonomy in maintaining its unmanned systems capability.
A larger unmanned aircraft, which has been operational with the National Guard since July, is also expected to appear. The systems were reportedly designed and developed by Cypriot companies with the support of the National Guard as part of an effort to establish a domestic and sustainable unmanned systems capability.