Spain is procuring 9 SIRTAP tactical UAV programs, totally designed and manufactured by Airbus inside the nation.
Spain’s first SIRTAP unmanned aerial system prototype is now full and slated to start floor testing, in an formidable schedule lasting portion of 2026, earlier than the primary supply by 2027. Airbus Defence and House, which manufactures the system, launched a brief video on Sep. 4, 2025, exhibiting the plane receiving a paint job at its facility in Getafe in Spain.
This precedes the bottom and flight assessments on the Nationwide Institute of Aerospace Know-how’s (INTA) Unmanned Techniques Check Centre (CEUS) in Huelva, southwestern Spain. Airbus added within the X publish that the following milestone is to ship Plane and Floor Management Station prototypes to assist the bottom trials, anticipated to final the following few months, adopted by flight trials by means of 2026.
The most recent revelation comes after Airbus introduced on Jun. 17, 2025, the completion of the primary SIRTAP prototype’s meeting, including that the bottom testing would contain “structural evaluations, predominant programs elements and software program testing.” The next flight trials would additionally assist safe an airworthiness sort certification to “be certain that the plane meets the best security and efficiency requirements, resulting in the supply of the primary system to Spain in 2027,” Airbus added within the press launch.
Ultimate brushstroke! ✅
After a busy summer season of floor testing, the primary #SIRTAP prototype is now totally painted and on the point of shine up within the skies.
Subsequent milestones:
🇪🇸 Plane and Floor Management Station prototypes delivery to @intaespana ’s Unmanned Techniques Check Centre… pic.twitter.com/aLPAIIA1NL
— Airbus Defence (@AirbusDefence) September 4, 2025
Airbus SIRTAP for Spain
The video confirmed Airbus personnel at Getafe making use of the gray paint scheme and the corporate’s markings with spray paint weapons. Within the picture accompanying the Jun. 17 launch, the plane is sporting a beige-colored primer, however retaining the gray paint on the tail finish housing the propeller engine, and the full-black entrance nostril part.
As per a November 2023 contract between Spain’s Ministry of Defence and Airbus Defence and House, Madrid is slated to amass 9 SIRTAP programs, every consisting of three plane and a floor management station. Its whole outlay sooner or later contains 27 drones and 9 floor management stations to “reinforce the tactical capabilities of the Spanish Armed Forces,” Airbus defined.
Moreover, Spanish operators are additionally slated to obtain two coaching simulators from Airbus. These simulators have handed a Crucial Design Evaluate, marking the completion of their performance and structure.
The event additionally comes after Airbus and Spanish state-owned shipbuilder Navantia introduced an settlement earlier this yr to discover SIRTAP’s integration on the Spanish Navy’s flagship, the Juan Carlos I multipurpose plane provider LHD (Touchdown Helicopter Dock). As is now evident, the drone displayed on the Juan Carlos I used to be a full-sized mockup.
Airbus and @NavantiaOficial signal an settlement to discover the combination of #SIRTAP into the Spanish Navy Juan Carlos I flagship.
This goals to be step one to ensure the interoperability of SIRTAP with the remainder of programs of the provider, such because the SCOMBA fight system.… pic.twitter.com/iCka8Ccdjr
— Airbus Defence (@AirbusDefence) January 28, 2025
The Armada Española’s (Spanish Navy) sole plane provider, which is provided with a ski-jump to assist AV-8B Harrier II’s flight operations, will likely be examined for command and management, fight system integration and navigation assist, with the latter additionally together with take-off and touchdown operations.
Neither Airbus, Navantia nor the Spanish authorities have make clear the kind of launch or restoration technique for the Airbus SIRTAP on the Juan Carlos I, or a timeline for the combination program. Additionally it is not identified if the experiment will inform future Spanish Navy’s UAV, plane, helicopter or ship-building plans.
Nonetheless, Spain shouldn’t be the one nation exploring working UAVs from carriers, contemplating that Turkey pioneered the follow with its TCG Anadolu provider. GA-ASI’s Grey Eagle STOL drone has equally been examined off the RoKN amphibious assault ship Dokdo in November 2024 and the Royal Navy’s HMS Prince of Wales examined the Mojave demonstrator in 2023.
That is #SIRTAP: our high-performance tactical UAS. Designed for all-weather surveillance, it integrates twin payloads for defence and safety purposes, offering crucial insights day or evening. pic.twitter.com/yhryMqfTeE
— Airbus Defence (@AirbusDefence) July 29, 2025
SIRTAP drone
In line with Airbus, SIRTAP lies within the “high-end tactical UAS section.” The corporate explains “its defence and safety purposes will provide a variety of missions tailor-made to the operational wants of shoppers in each the institutional and governmental markets.”
The UAV is primarily an ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) platform that may fly in all-weather situations and harsh environments, with an endurance of greater than 20 hours and an operational altitude of over 20,000 toes. Airbus provides that will probably be licensed by Spanish navy airworthiness authorities to fly in segregated airspace.
Its two major payloads are an EO/IR (Electro-Optical/Infrared) turret beneath the chin and a multi-mission maritime surveillance radar. These payloads enable SIRTAP to conduct maritime power safety roles with guided weapons on the 4 underwing hardpoints, extending the surveillance attain of the fleet whereas complementing different manned platforms.
Different capabilities embrace digital warfare programs like SIGINT, ELINT and COMINT (Indicators/Digital/Communications Intelligence) sensors.
Showcased at #FEINDEF25: the excessive functionality tactical UAS #SIRTAP.This uncrewed aerial system is totally produced in Spain, strengthening nationwide sovereignty. 🇪🇸 It should present the @EjercitoAire and Ejército de Tierra with superior surveillance, intelligence and reconnaissance… pic.twitter.com/lYeZHqBFuL
— Airbus Defence (@AirbusDefence) Could 14, 2025
Lastly, SIRTAP additionally serves a broader effort to rejuvenate Spain’s protection trade indigenization and focusing on international gross sales, due to its ITAR (Worldwide Visitors in Arms Laws)-free design. This implies the baseline model is totally non-militarized and has direct civilian purposes like border surveillance and humanitarian help monitoring.
“Its improvement and potential evolution in the direction of completely different variations, such because the naval model or weapons integration, will even contribute to strengthening industrial capabilities within the discipline of remotely-piloted automobiles,” Airbus provides.
Jean-Brice Dumont, head of air energy at Airbus Defence and House mentioned within the Jun. 17 press launch: “Designed and manufactured in Spain, SIRTAP will strengthen nationwide sovereignty and will likely be a benchmark within the tactical unmanned aerial programs section worldwide. It’s one other necessary brick in our ambition to form a European ecosystem in defence aerospace.”
