Spain's Escribano to supply UAV swarm system to Spanish military

The company will develop software for an experimental done swarm system to carry out missions such as intelligence gathering, surveillance and target acquisition 

Spain's Escribano to supply UAV swarm system to Spanish military

Photo: Escribano

Spanish company Escribano Mechanical & Engineering announced last week that it was awarded a contract by the country's Defense Ministry for the development of an autonomous and multiplatform UAV swarm system for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions.

The contract, which was awarded by the ministry's Directorate General of Armament and Material, is part of Phase II of the country's RAPAZ program.

The company is to develop software for the experimental system of autonomous drones to carry out different types of experimental missions, mainly ISTAR, search and rescue, and loitering. This technology can be used with military platforms such as the future 8×8 Dragon infantry fighting vehicle, from which they could operate in a range of 5 to 10 km and use loitering or attack capabilities against ground targets, Escribano says.

The company claims that its Long Range Intelligent Security System, equipped with cutting-edge artificial intelligence, is the only drone swarm system that provides individual and group intelligence for the autonomous development of missions. The swarm is operated by a single operator and its behavior can be adapted as the mission takes place. This technology has a variety of applications such as military defense and protection missions, coastal surveillance, control of toxic spills, monitoring of fires, searching for survivors of disasters, and detecting crop diseases, according to the company.