Greece’s Skaramagas Shipyards to Lead Production of VICTA Special Forces Vessel.

According to a published by Skaramagas Shipyards on January 21, 2025, the Greek company has entered a transformative partnership with UK-based SubSea Craft to establish a maritime innovation center in Greece. This initiative aims to elevate Greece’s naval and defense industries, combining advanced technology with local expertise.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

VICTA-class diver delivery unit. (Picture source: SubSea Craft)

Central to this partnership is the production of the VICTA platform, a versatile vessel designed for special forces operations. Capable of high-speed surface travel and underwater navigation, the VICTA brings advanced stealth and autonomous capabilities to the forefront of naval operations. Its design enables precision in critical missions while minimizing operational risks. Beyond military applications, the VICTA’s features make it suitable for civil protection and countering asymmetric threats, further broadening its potential uses.

The maritime innovation center will focus on the development of next-generation autonomous and unmanned vessels. This collaboration is expected to enhance the technological capabilities of Skaramagas Shipyards, positioning it as a key player in advanced naval production and innovation. The initiative is also set to bolster Greece’s defense industry, providing opportunities for local engineers and researchers to engage in groundbreaking projects. By attracting international expertise and accessing European research funding, the center aims to establish Greece as a leader in maritime technology.

Several platforms offer comparable capabilities. The JFD SEAL Carrier is one such hybrid craft, built for surface and submersible operations with small teams. It emphasizes stealth and the efficient insertion of operators but does not achieve the same level of rapid transition or high-speed surface performance. Similarly, Lockheed Martin’s Dry Combat Submersible (DCS) provides an enclosed, pressurized environment for operators, allowing for extended underwater missions. However, the DCS is primarily an underwater platform and lacks the high-speed surface capabilities that characterize the VICTA.

The MSubs S201 submersible also serves as a valuable platform for special forces. It offers a dry, modular environment for operators and can be tailored to specific mission requirements, focusing on endurance and payload capacity. This makes it ideal for long-range underwater operations but limits its operational speed and adaptability compared to the VICTA. Meanwhile, diver propulsion devices such as those from STIDD cater to short-range, individual underwater mobility. While effective for certain missions, these devices do not offer the integrated hybrid functionality or mission scope of larger surface-submersible crafts.

Other specialized platforms, like Triton’s submersibles, provide deep-sea and covert operational capabilities tailored for specific scenarios. These vehicles prioritize operator safety and endurance but are not designed for hybrid operations involving high-speed surface transit.