Spain is procuring nine SIRTAP tactical UAV systems, fully designed and manufactured by Airbus within the country.
Spain’s first SIRTAP unmanned aerial system prototype is now complete and slated to begin ground testing, in an ambitious schedule lasting a good portion of 2026, before the first delivery by 2027. Airbus Defence and Space, which manufactures the system, released a short video on Sep. 4, 2025, showing the aircraft receiving a paint job at its facility in Getafe in Spain.
This precedes the ground and flight tests at the National Institute of Aerospace Technology’s (INTA) Unmanned Systems Test Centre (CEUS) in Huelva, southwestern Spain. Airbus added in the X post that the next milestone is to ship Aircraft and Ground Control Station prototypes to support the ground trials, expected to last the next few months, followed by flight trials through 2026.
The latest revelation comes after Airbus announced on Jun. 17, 2025, the completion of the first SIRTAP prototype’s assembly, adding that the ground testing would involve “structural evaluations, main systems components and software testing.” The subsequent flight trials would also help secure an airworthiness type certification to “ensure that the aircraft meets the highest safety and performance standards, leading to the delivery of the first system to Spain in 2027,” Airbus added in the press release.
Final brushstroke! ✅
After a busy summer of ground testing, the first #SIRTAP prototype is now fully painted and getting ready to shine up in the skies.
Next milestones:
🇪🇸 Aircraft and Ground Control Station prototypes shipping to @intaespana ’s Unmanned Systems Test Centre… pic.twitter.com/aLPAIIA1NL
— Airbus Defence (@AirbusDefence) September 4, 2025
Airbus SIRTAP for Spain
The video showed Airbus personnel at Getafe applying the grey paint scheme and the company’s markings with spray paint guns. In the image accompanying the Jun. 17 release, the aircraft is sporting a beige-colored primer, but retaining the grey paint on the tail end housing the propeller engine, and the full-black front nose section.
As per a November 2023 contract between Spain’s Ministry of Defence and Airbus Defence and Space, Madrid is slated to acquire nine SIRTAP systems, each consisting of three aircraft and a ground control station. Its total outlay in the future includes 27 drones and nine ground control stations to “reinforce the tactical capabilities of the Spanish Armed Forces,” Airbus explained.
Additionally, Spanish operators are also slated to receive two training simulators from Airbus. These simulators have passed a Critical Design Review, marking the completion of their functionality and architecture.
The development also comes after Airbus and Spanish state-owned shipbuilder Navantia announced an agreement earlier this year to explore SIRTAP’s integration on the Spanish Navy’s flagship, the Juan Carlos I multipurpose aircraft carrier LHD (Landing Helicopter Dock). As is now evident, the drone displayed on the Juan Carlos I was a full-sized mockup.
Airbus and @NavantiaOficial sign an agreement to explore the integration of #SIRTAP into the Spanish Navy Juan Carlos I flagship.
This aims to be the first step to guarantee the interoperability of SIRTAP with the rest of systems of the carrier, such as the SCOMBA combat system.… pic.twitter.com/iCka8Ccdjr
— Airbus Defence (@AirbusDefence) January 28, 2025
The Armada Española’s (Spanish Navy) sole aircraft carrier, which is equipped with a ski-jump to support AV-8B Harrier II’s flight operations, will be tested for command and control, combat system integration and navigation support, with the latter also including take-off and landing operations.
Neither Airbus, Navantia nor the Spanish government have shed light on the type of launch or recovery method for the Airbus SIRTAP on the Juan Carlos I, or a timeline for the integration program. It is also not known if the experiment will inform future Spanish Navy’s UAV, aircraft, helicopter or ship-building plans.
However, Spain is not the only country exploring operating UAVs from carriers, considering that Turkey pioneered the practice with its TCG Anadolu carrier. GA-ASI’s Gray Eagle STOL drone has similarly been tested off the RoKN amphibious assault ship Dokdo in November 2024 and the Royal Navy’s HMS Prince of Wales tested the Mojave demonstrator in 2023.
This is #SIRTAP: our high-performance tactical UAS. Designed for all-weather surveillance, it integrates dual payloads for defence and security applications, providing critical insights day or night. pic.twitter.com/yhryMqfTeE
— Airbus Defence (@AirbusDefence) July 29, 2025
SIRTAP drone
According to Airbus, SIRTAP lies in the “high-end tactical UAS segment.” The company explains “its defence and security applications will offer a wide range of missions tailored to the operational needs of customers in both the institutional and governmental markets.”
The UAV is primarily an ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) platform that can fly in all-weather conditions and harsh environments, with an endurance of more than 20 hours and an operational altitude of over 20,000 feet. Airbus adds that it will be certified by Spanish military airworthiness authorities to fly in segregated airspace.
Its two primary payloads are an EO/IR (Electro-Optical/Infrared) turret under the chin and a multi-mission maritime surveillance radar. These payloads allow SIRTAP to conduct maritime force protection roles with guided weapons on the four underwing hardpoints, extending the surveillance reach of the fleet while complementing other manned platforms.
Other capabilities include electronic warfare systems like SIGINT, ELINT and COMINT (Signals/Electronic/Communications Intelligence) sensors.
Showcased at #FEINDEF25: the high capability tactical UAS #SIRTAP.
This uncrewed aerial system is fully produced in Spain, strengthening national sovereignty. 🇪🇸 It will provide the @EjercitoAire and Ejército de Tierra with advanced surveillance, intelligence and reconnaissance… pic.twitter.com/lYeZHqBFuL
— Airbus Defence (@AirbusDefence) May 14, 2025
Lastly, SIRTAP also serves a broader effort to rejuvenate Spain’s defense industry indigenization and targeting foreign sales, thanks to its ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations)-free design. This means the baseline version is completely non-militarized and has direct civilian applications like border surveillance and humanitarian assistance monitoring.
“Its development and potential evolution towards different versions, such as the naval version or weapons integration, will also contribute to strengthening industrial capabilities in the field of remotely-piloted vehicles,” Airbus adds.
Jean-Brice Dumont, head of air power at Airbus Defence and Space said in the Jun. 17 press release: “Designed and manufactured in Spain, SIRTAP will strengthen national sovereignty and will be a benchmark in the tactical unmanned aerial systems segment worldwide. It is another important brick in our ambition to shape a European ecosystem in defence aerospace.”
