Interviewee: Andreas Papadimitriou, Senior Project Manager, SATWAYS LTD

Role in PROTEAS project: Beneficiary / Work Package Leader of WP2

Question: Please describe in a few words your position, background and role in the PROTEAS project.

Andreas Papadimitriou: My name is Andreas Papadimitriou, and I am acting as the Project Manager for the PROTEAS Project on behalf of Satways Ltd. Having graduated in 1988 with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, I began my career as Research & Development Engineer before joining the BASF Group in Spain, where I managed several projects related to production optimization and later took full responsibility in the construction of several chemical plants.

In 2001, I joined Siemens in Greece as Bid and Project Manager with full project lifecycle responsibility for the delivery of electrical installations for the Greek Navy and large-scale integrated security solutions, with focus in Critical Infrastructure Protection, Public Safety and Homeland Security. In 2010, I joined Lysys S.A. as Sales and Acquisition Manager and Senior Project Manager, securing major acquisitions and leading several projects from the requirements analysis phase, to commissioning of Integration Platform and Security Systems. Since 2024, I have joined Satways Ltd. as a Senior Project Manager for EDF Projects.

Question: Please describe in a few words the role of your entity in the PROTEAS project and the business goals you aim to achieve through the participation.

Andreas Papadimitriou: Within the PROTEAS project, Satways Ltd (STWS) is actively involved in multiple Work Packages, while leading WP2 (which ended at the end of May 2024), which focused on the Users’ and System’s Requirements and Overall Framework Architecture.

STWS’ main role is to design an autonomous PROTEAS Perimeter Security System across both design subphases (Preliminary Design, leading to the PDR and Critical Design, leading to the CDR), allowing security, protection and survivability. The design is based on a modular, highly scalable centralized C2 platform, an integration platform (PSS Platform), for the control and monitoring of disparate security systems (primarily passive), provided by various partners. In addition, STWS is responsible for the design of Advanced Access Control Identification Solutions, consisting of two elements: a Face Recognition system, allowing access to authorized personnel, and an Automatic Number Plate Recognition system, allowing access to authorized/registered vehicles. STWS is also responsible for the design of an Unattended Ground Sensor (UGS) system.

STWS also contributes to the design of the SATCOM infrastructure for Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) communications between the Special Operations Forces Command Post (SOFCP) and Special Operations Task Group/Unit’s (SOTG/SOTU) locations, including the transmission services’ interface, a secure and protect circuit, RF components definition according to the link budget analysis with selected satellite and IF components. Furthermore, STWS contributes to the Data gathering for Training AI algorithms, providing support to the activities for collecting datasets required for the lab testing purposes, and the definition of the PROTEAS Prototyping Framework, in other words the implementation of prototypes for all the comprising systems.

STWS is involved in defining integration, verification, validation, qualification (IVVQ) and testing strategies for the efficient execution of demonstration activities, the Integration and initial testing of the implemented prototypes, the On-site installation, configuration and demonstration of PROTEAS Framework prototypes based on the already defined in KPIs, validation plan and scenarios/use cases, the evaluation of PROTEAS Framework performance and extraction of lessons learnt and recommendations from the supporting MoDs (of Greece, France, Italy, Belgium and Norway).

In this EDF project, STWS aims to promote the benefit of the PSS Platform as a modular, highly scalable centralized C2 platform for the physical protection of the SOFCP facility, through the integration of a number of heterogeneous sensors, to develop a UGS system providing the detection of targets or threats approaching the facility, while not easily detectable or visible, to incorporate the concept of an Advance Access Control system for personnel and vehicles to the SOFCP facility, based on COTS sensors with embedded AI algorithms, to demonstrate a quickly deployable secure solution for the satellite communications in remote areas, based on highly portable Flyway antennas.

Question: Please describe in a few words the added value presented by the envisaged PROTEAS outcomes and your view on their possible future adoption.

Andreas Papadimitriou: PROTEAS Project aims at providing a SOTA prototyped, highly modular and rapidly deployable command post, supporting SOF operations and consisting of: Shelter Facilities & Infrastructure; interoperable and cyber-secure communications; a multiple domain Command and Control (C2), portable devices for field-deployed units, manned and unmanned assets and perimeter security system. It addresses SOF operations in a holistic way, allows the stakeholders to select the desired functionalities to efficiently support such operations, and it can provide support a wide array of operational scenarios in every operational domain for a rapid and effective response.