Spain invests 500 million euros in Airbus SIRTAP UAS project.

The Spanish Ministry of Defense has received approval from the Ministry of Finance to invest 500 million euros in the Airbus SIRTAP tactical drone program, Infodefense reports, relayed by mil.in.ua website. The money earmarked for investment will be divided into eight annual payments between 2023 and 2031. The Sirtap project is financed by Spain and Colombia. Both countries plan to replace the last generation of Israeli-made drones with the latest drones. Spain plans to buy 27 SIRTAPs, and Colombia 18.

Follow Air Recognition on Google News at this link

SIRTAP tactical reconnaissance drone (Picture source: Airbus)

Currently, Spain considers purchasing 9 systems, each of which will consist of 3 drones, a ground control station and data reception equipment. These drones are to replace the Israeli Searcher drones currently used by the Spanish Air Force. During EuroSatory 2022, Fernando Siria, manager of Airbus Military Air Systems, said that in the coming months, a decision was expected from Spain on the development of the SIRTAP tactical drone, which will belong to the same range as the Turkish Bayraktar TB -2.

According to Airbus, 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 a 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 and carrying a payload (sensors, cameras, etc.) weighing more than 150 kg, the 750kg tactical UAS is fit for day/night and maritime Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions, providing rapid response for close target inspection. To take off, it needs an 800 meters long runway.

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.

The devices that will be supplied to the Spanish forces will be equipped with an optical station and a radar with a synthetic aperture. It is also possible that they may be equipped with guided weapons in the future.

Almost 90% of the components of the complex are made in Spain. Airbus claims that "nothing like it" has yet been created in Europe, so SIRTAP is an important European project designed to overcome the technological dependence of the continent's armies on suppliers from Israel and the United States.

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
* Monitoring illegal activities: piracy control, anti-drug trafficking, illegal fisheries detection
* Firefighting support

SIRTAP tactical reconnaissance drone (Picture source: Airbus)