Spain invests €500 million to develop SIRTAP reconnaissance drone with a range of up to 250km

Spain wants to develop a new unmanned aerial vehicle. It will be called SIRTAP. The acronym stands for Sistema de Inteligencia, Reconocimiento y Ataque de Precisión.

Here's What We Know

The developer of the drone will be the Spanish division of Airbus. Spain plans to invest €500m in the development and production of the new drone. The funding will be split into eight annual installments through 2031.

The first version of SIRTAP will be used for surveillance, reconnaissance and reconnaissance. Following the success of the reconnaissance version of the drone, Airbus will begin working to equip the UAV with weapons.

SIRTAP will receive radar, an infrared camera and an optronic system. The drone will be able to operate in temperatures ranging from -40 to +50 degrees Celsius and climb to an altitude of up to 6,000 metres.

The drone will be 7.3 metres long and 2.2 metres high with a wingspan of 12 metres. The 750kg drone will be able to fly for more than 20 hours without landing. Flight speed is not specified.

The drone will have a maximum range of 250km. SIRTAP will be able to carry a payload weighing up to 150 kg. One unmanned aerial system will comprise three drones, a ground control station, two interchangeable cameras and additional equipment.

Source: Infodefensa