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Spanish Navy’s Flagship to Operate SIRTAP Drone for Next-Gen Carrier-Based Drone Missions.
According to information published by Airbus on January 28, 2025, Airbus and Navantia have launched an initiative to integrate the SIRTAP tactical unmanned aerial system (UAS) into the Juan Carlos I (L61) amphibious assault ship. This effort focuses on seamless integration with the ship’s combat systems, secure real-time data transmission, and safe launch and recovery procedures in maritime conditions. The initiative reflects a broader trend in modern naval warfare, where unmanned systems play an increasingly critical role in surveillance, reconnaissance, force projection, and operational flexibility.
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The Spanish drone SIRTAP on the amphibious assault ship Juan Carlos I. (Picture source: Airbus Defence)
The core of the integration lies in linking SIRTAP with the SCOMBA combat management system, which acts as the command and control backbone of the ship. This requires adapting the UAV’s data transmission capabilities to work within the ship’s sensor fusion and fire control network, ensuring real-time situational awareness across all operational units. The challenge involves optimizing latency-free communication between the UAV and onboard operators, allowing for effective reconnaissance and target acquisition. This will demand a robust, encrypted data link capable of resisting electronic warfare threats, ensuring that adversaries cannot disrupt ISR operations through jamming, cyber intrusions, or signal spoofing.
Operating a fixed-wing UAV from a ship like the Juan Carlos I requires precise launch and recovery adaptations. The ship’s flight deck, originally designed for Harrier fighter jets and helicopters, lacks the catapult systems typically used for fixed-wing UAVs. Airbus and Navantia must either develop a dedicated net or arrestor-based recovery system or modify SIRTAP’s software for precision-assisted landings using optical, radar, and inertial navigation cues. Stability during takeoff and landing is further complicated by the ship’s movement, deck pitching, and unpredictable wind patterns, requiring advanced stabilization algorithms and real-time course corrections to ensure successful drone operations in varying sea states.
The flight control software and autonomous guidance system must be modified to integrate with the ship’s aviation coordination framework. This includes adapting the UAV’s autopilot to work with ship-based navigation radars and inertial stabilization systems, ensuring precise positioning even in rough seas. The ability to execute automated landings with AI-assisted adjustments for wind conditions, deck movement, and aircraft deconfliction is critical, especially when operating in a mixed-aircraft environment. With existing air operations including AV-8B Harrier II jets, NH90 helicopters, and SH-60 Seahawk helicopters, the introduction of a UAV requires new air traffic control protocols, ensuring that drone launch and recovery do not interfere with manned aircraft operations.
Expanding the ISR capabilities of Juan Carlos I, SIRTAP will provide beyond-line-of-sight reconnaissance, essential for anti-submarine warfare, maritime interdiction, amphibious assault coordination, and early warning threat detection. The UAV’s ability to track surface contacts, monitor littoral zones, and relay real-time intelligence to deployed forces significantly extends the ship’s operational reach, reducing reliance on traditional airborne surveillance assets. With its multi-sensor payload, including electro-optical, infrared, and maritime radar systems, SIRTAP can detect and track naval threats, identify irregular maritime activity, and provide force protection against asymmetric threats such as swarm drone attacks or small fast-attack craft.
The integration of an automated launch and recovery system (ALRS) will be essential for enabling repeatable, reliable UAV operations at sea. The lack of a dedicated runway means SIRTAP will require either a shipborne recovery system using arresting cables, nets, or a robotic arm-assisted capture mechanism, or modifications that allow short-roll landings on the deck with rapid retrieval. Launch operations must also account for deck stability, wave motion, and wind interference, requiring adaptive flight control settings based on real-time meteorological and ship movement data.
With increasing reliance on network-centric warfare, ensuring secure UAV communication and data sharing within the Spanish Navy’s fleet-wide tactical network is crucial. SIRTAP’s integration must support multi-platform interoperability, allowing data to be distributed not just to the Juan Carlos I but also to supporting assets such as frigates, offshore patrol vessels, and allied maritime task forces. To achieve this, Airbus and Navantia will likely implement tactical datalink protocols similar to NATO’s Link 16 or Link 22 standards, ensuring that ISR feeds can be shared with joint and coalition forces for enhanced situational awareness and coordinated mission execution.
The introduction of SIRTAP aboard Juan Carlos I represents a technological leap in Spanish naval doctrine, marking the first true integration of a tactical UAV into a Spanish Navy amphibious and power projection platform. Beyond its immediate ISR benefits, the program paves the way for future UAV deployments across Spain’s surface fleet, including potential applications aboard the F-110 frigates and BAM offshore patrol vessels. The knowledge gained from integrating a fixed-wing UAV into a naval aviation environment will inform future unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) programs, shaping the next generation of manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) concepts in Spanish maritime operations.