Unmanned drones and helicopters from Indra and Inaer will power the new Rozas Technology Center

With an investment of 115 million euros, this pioneering project in Europe, awarded to the joint proposal of Indra and Inaer in public tender, will be developed entirely in Galicia, with the aim of promoting an industrial hub and development of UAV technologies (unmanned drones and helicopters) civilians.

The multinationals Indra (spanish) e Inaer (Australian) have been the winners of the public tender UAV's Initiative called by the Galician Government for the creation of a technological center for unmanned aircraft for civil use at the Rozas aerodrome, in Castro de Rei (Outeiro de Rei – Lugo), to which nine applications were submitted from large companies such as Airbus, Boeing, Indra, Everis, Elbit Systems, Augustawestland con Telespazio, Inaer and Thales, as well as UTEs formed by Galician and Madrid SMEs.

The president of the get together from Galicia, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, and his industry advisor, Francisco Conde, have announced this award, which will have an investment of 115 million euros, of which 40 million will be contributed by the Galician Innovation Agency (Gain), dependent on the Galician Government, and the 75 remaining private financing.

According to the data provided, It is estimated that the center will create about six hundred direct and indirect jobs., as well as the installation of six new companies in Galicia, of which three will be newly created by Indra, and the other three (cubens, S4A Solutions for Aviation y Tecnam Aviation) will move to the new center, to which are added contracts with eighteen local companies and fourteen technological knowledge centers, including the three Galician universities.

The joint proposal of Indra and the helicopter operator Inaer aims to “develop the first industrial and technological hub for the creation of civil unmanned aircraft in Spain”. A project that will last until the year 2020 and which will be carried out at the Rozas Airborne Research Center (WHILE) that the Xunta and the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (WHILE) have been implemented in Lugo.

This project combines the experience of the helicopter operator in civil emergency missions Inaer, especially in firefighting, with Indra's ability to develop complete UAV systems. In this sense, The Spanish technology multinational has carried out projects that range from the supply of aerial platforms to the development of airborne sensors, communications and mission systems that integrate these unmanned aircraft.

The offer presented by both companies is perfectly aligned with the objectives of the Xunta, that seeks to launch an intensive R&D project with high added value, that at the same time is oriented towards the improvement of public services, such as firefighting, coastal surveillance or detection of fishing grounds or discharges into the sea.

These public service activities are among the first civil applications that this type of aircraft will be able to assume., given its low risk to aviation safety and its potential benefits, as they have highlighted during the presentation of the project of the new Technological Center.

Inaer has been working on R&D activities linked to UAVs for more than eight years and since 2013 develops an unmanned helicopter in Galicia 150 Kg. of weight called Lumes, which aims to become the first unmanned helicopter of these characteristics to begin operating in Europe on forest fire fighting missions in two years.

For your part, Indra will build an advanced UAV Technology Center in Rozas, and will transfer a large part of the activities it is developing in this environment to Galicia, such as the evolution of the MRI Aerial Surveillance System into the Targus unmanned system (OPV – Optional Piloted Vehicle), which will also be the first aircraft of this type developed in Spain.

Indra will also develop a high-load capacity rotary wing vehicle and a Mission and Data Processing Center, which will be in charge of collecting and analyzing the data generated by the UAV sensors, manage missions and perform remote control of devices. Besides, unmanned helicopter factories will be launched (Inaer) and drones (Indra), a technology center, a UAV design and certification office, instruction and training units for pilots and operators

Both companies will act as driving companies to support the transformation of the existing industrial fabric in areas of great importance in Galicia., such as automotive and naval, For this purpose, the Xunta is looking for industrial partners that can diversify the activity of these local companies and support them so that they can specialize in an activity that offers high growth potential in the coming years..

Indra maintains a strong presence in Galicia, where it has about five hundred professionals and centers in Ferrol, A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela and Vigo.