Teresa Diaz |
Madrid (EFE).- The commitment of the Spanish Navy to equip itself with unmanned land, air and submarine vehicles is firm. It has already begun a progressive process of acquiring these drones and, to promote it, it participates in operational experimentation exercises at the national level, as well as with other countries and with NATO.
The objective is to be “fully aware” of the capabilities provided by these drones and, at the same time, guide the Spanish defense industry on the requirements and needs in this field, Navy sources have informed EFE.
Four Spanish drones in the most important army in the fleet
This year, the Flotex-23 exercise, the most important of the Fleet, which took place between June 5 and 16 in the western Mediterranean, included four unmanned vehicles, all of them designed by Spanish companies, an example of the mutual support of the Navy and the national defense industry for technological development, the sources have specified.
The operation has also had more than 4,500 troops, 21 ships, 1 submarine, 18 aircraft and 80 Marine Infantry vehicles. Units from Canada, France, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Turkey and the United States have participated.
This naval force has carried out multi-domain operations in a medium and high intensity scenario to deal with both asymmetric and conventional threats and has allowed experimentation with drones, including the Sead 23, an unmanned surface vehicle.
On board the aircraft carrier Juan Carlos I, it has been used for information search operations and support prior to amphibious landings.
On the frigate Santa María, the Kaluga, a pneumatic platform powered by an outboard motor, has carried out intelligence, escort and protection tasks for the fleet.
The Tizona drone, which has swarm capability and can take off and land vertically, has operated from the amphibious assault ship Castilla.
In addition, on the maritime action ship Furor, the M5D-Airfox aerial drone has carried out maritime surveillance and target detection operations.
The use of these drones in this exercise brings benefits to the Navy, since it allows a greater knowledge of its capabilities and, on the other hand, offers an advantage to the national defense industry by giving it the opportunity to meet the needs demanded by the military with a view to developing new designs, Lieutenant Commander Fernando Quirós, of the Navy General Staff, has told EFE.
Two years experimenting with drones
The Spanish navy has been experimenting for two years on how to integrate drones into conventional naval operations. It has done so in international exercises that take place in the waters of Portugal, the Rep Mus, led by this country, and the NATO Dynamic Messenger, in which these same unmanned vehicles have already participated.
It does not want to be left behind in the new technological advances in the field of drones, such as the enhancement of the ability to operate autonomously or the application of artificial intelligence, according to Quirós.
And it is that they have already demonstrated their usefulness, so “from the Navy we are interested in experimenting to find out what they can contribute, how they can be used and begin to make the endowments aware that the future is out there”, he assured.
Among the advantages that have been observed, the Lieutenant Commander has cited the fact that they are capable, through sensors, of detecting targets at a distance from the ship and that, since they are not manned, they can engage in actions that entail a certain risk without expose human lives.
Progressive acquisition in parallel to experimentation
Incorporating these systems into the Navy can have a “multiplier” effect on its capabilities, which could help its effectiveness and efficiency, Quirós pointed out, who, however, stressed that they are still in an initial phase and must be developed .
The acquisition process of new drones by the Navy is being carried out progressively in parallel with their experimentation in military exercises, although it already has some unmanned aerial vehicles that are used mainly for surveillance and reconnaissance missions. .
It currently has 12 Scan Eagle aircraft, small unmanned aerial vehicles with a long autonomy (more than 20 hours) that can fly above 5,000 meters.
They are in service with the Eleventh Squadron of the Aircraft Flotilla, which is located in Torregorda (Cádiz), and operate on board ships deployed in the Indian Ocean, in the Atalanta operation against piracy, and in the Spanish mission in Iraq.