The capabilities of the Eurodrone, a large unmanned plane that will be operated by Spain

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are gaining significant importance in the field of defense, thanks to their capabilities.

The large MQ-9 drones of the Spanish Air Force and their operation
SIRTAP, the unmanned aircraft developed by Spain and Colombia for military purposes

Currently, the largest UAVs operated by Spain are the Spanish Air Force's MQ-9 Reaper, a single-engine, fixed-wing model manufactured by the US company General Atomics. Spain plans to arm these drones with AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles, expanding their current role as reconnaissance aircraft to also be able to use them in attack or close support missions.

In addition, Spain is participating in other projects, such as SIRTAP, which I already talked about here in 2024 (a joint single-engine reconnaissance and attack drone project developed by Spain and Colombia) and Eurodrone, the largest UAV program in which Spain participates.

Also known as the European MALE RPAS, a model of this project was presented at the FEINDEF defense fair in Madrid in May 2023. It is a joint project between Airbus, Dassault Aviation, and Leonardo, with support from Germany, Spain, France, and Italy.

The Spanish Air Force expects to receive 12 units of this twin-engine UAV (a total of 4 systems, with 3 aircraft each), which will be capable of carrying weapons on four mounts under their wings and can be used in different missions. In addition, Germany expects to receive 21 aircraft, Italy 15, and France 12. In addition, Japan and India are participating as observers in this program, which may imply future sales to both countries.

Yesterday, Airbus Defence and Space published a video showing the capabilities and applications of this aircraft, information that seems very promising:

The missions we see in the video are: reconnaissance (with target acquisition capability), airborne early warning (i.e., the capability to detect hostile aircraft, which will include the ability to operate as a communications node), signals intelligence (SIGINT, i.e., the ability to intercept enemy communications), anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare (in the latter case, the aircraft will be able to launch sonobuoys to detect targets), and search and rescue at sea (with the ability to launch deployable boats to rescue shipwrecked people).

In June 2024, Airbus displayed a full-size mock-up at the ILA 24 trade fair in Berlin, stating the following about the Eurodrone: "It will ensure operational superiority to the partner nations, especially in the context of Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions."

Airbus has also noted that the Eurodrone will be a "key pillar" of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), serving as a communications hub, among other key functions. It's worth noting that FCAS is a project supported by Germany, Spain, and France and is focused on a sixth-generation stealth fighter capable of operating drone swarms.

Last year, Airbus also revealed the aircraft's performance characteristics: a maximum weight of approximately 11,000 kg, with a maximum payload of 2,300 kg, a range of more than 40 hours, a maximum operating altitude of 45,000 feet (13,716 meters) and a maximum speed of 265 knots (490 km/h).

It should be noted that these features would be greater than those of the American drone Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk, except in relation to speed, since this one is equipped with a jet engine, while the Eurodrone will have two turboprop engines, a requirement demanded by Germany and that will give this aircraft greater security in the event of a failure in one of the engines, being able to operate with the other.

In terms of dimensions, the Eurodrone will be 16 meters long and have a 26-meter wingspan. To give you an idea, it will be longer than an F-16 fighter jet, and its wingspan will be longer than those of a CASA C-295 tactical transport aircraft.

For now, the Eurodrone is expected to make its first flight in 2027, with deliveries of the aircraft to operators beginning in 2028.

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Images: Airbus Defence.