As reported by The Defense Post echoing Infodefensa, the Spanish government has approved the purchase of 27 drones for an estimated 595 million euros ($656 million). The Spanish Army and the Spanish Air and Space Force will receive the Airbus SIRTAP systems, each of which reportedly consists of three aircraft, a ground control station, and data reception equipment. The purchase includes simulators and initial logistical support, Infodefensa revealed.
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The SIRTAP is expected to have an endurance of over 20 hours and a flight ceiling of 21,000 feet (6,400 meters). The multipurpose aircraft will be able to carry a payload of 150 kg (330 pounds). It will perform combat and non-combat missions, including convoy escort, area surveillance, force protection, signals, electronic, and communications intelligence (Picture source: Airbus)
The 27 Airbus SIRTAP drones will replace the army’s aging Searcher MkIIs from Israel Aerospace Industries, complementing the air force’s US-made Predators. The Spanish government launched the SiRTAP program in 2015, with Columbia joining it later. Airbus Defence and Space’s Spanish division has designed the drone and will produce it with substantial local content. More Spanish and Colombian defense firms are expected to join the program, with deliveries expected to begin in 2026, The Defense Post writes.
The SIRTAP is expected to have an endurance of over 20 hours and a flight ceiling of 21,000 feet (6,400 meters). The multipurpose aircraft will be able to carry a payload of 150 kg (330 pounds). It will perform combat and non-combat missions, including convoy escort, area surveillance, force protection, signals, electronic, and communications intelligence.
SIRTAP will provide that performance leap in the high-end tactical UAS segment. Its dual applications will offer a wide array of missions tailored to the operational needs of customers both in the institutional and governmental markets. Designed to fly under the toughest environmental and operational conditions, the UAS will be certified to fly in segregated airspace and pursue civil operations, all possible with the same platform.
SIRTAP will operate under any weather conditions, thanks to ice protection and high-temperature amplitude system, it can operate between -40⁰C to +50⁰C. With over 20 hours of endurance and flying at an altitude of 21,000 feet, the tactical UAS is fit for day/night and maritime Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions, providing rapid response for close target inspection.
The wings and rotor of SIRTAP can be easily dismounted to allow transportation by standard containers both by land and by air in a transport aircraft like the C295, which can carry two SIRTAP in one flight.
Concept of operations for enhanced versatility
* Advanced ISR
* Armed ISR: convoy escort, area surveillance, force protection
* Maritime Surveillance
* Electronic Warfare: SIGINT, ELINT, COMINT
* Border Surveillance: migration flows and border security control
* Search and Rescue: location of missing persons in remote areas
