Spain gives «green light» to Eurodrone program

The Council of Ministers authorized the acquisition of expenditure commitments to be charged to future fiscal years so that the Ministry of Defense can carry out the development, production and support for the entry into service, as well as the logistical support of the EUROMALE RPAS (Eurodrone) program.

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The EUROMALE program is a multinational program for the design, development and production of a Remotely Piloted Aerial System (RPAS), promoted by Germany, France, Italy and Spain and contracted through the OCCAR (Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation) with the European industry.

According to Airbus, the Eurodrone is designed to become one of the main pillars of any future combat air system, ready for real integration into civil airspace based on minimal restrictions and easy transportability thanks to its modular design. The design will offer multi-mission capabilities and significant growth potential, for Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) operations. The requirements and specifications have been negotiated and aligned between the end users (Germany, Spain, France and Italy), the contracting authority (OCCAR) and the participating industrial partners (Dassault Aviation, Leonardo and Airbus Spain).

The scope foreseen in the agreement with the Ministries of Defense of Germany, France and Italy is to establish the principles and general provisions for the management of the EUROMALE RPAS Program within the OCCAR Agency in the phases of development, production (four systems for Spain with an option for two additional ones) and support for the initial entry into service during five years from the reception of the first system by Spain.

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Spain is participating in the program with a 23% share, and the industrial return calculated to date is estimated to reach a minimum of 19%.

Funding for the program will come in principle from the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, which will contribute some 1,429,477,284 euros as follows:

The Spanish Ministry of Defense, as of 2029, will commit an amount of 1,739,336,725 euros, to be paid as follows:

The Ministry of Defense will also contribute another 150 million euros in logistical support.

The other member nations of the Euromale/Eurodrone program had already approved their respective budgets, and now with the «green light» given by the Spanish government, the production contracts will be able to materialize so that the construction of these European strategic intelligence and reconnaissance systems can finally begin.