The Army will negotiate a framework agreement for the acquisition of UAVs weighing less than 15 kg
The Air Force tests the Seeker UAS and Passer UAS systems within the framework of the Rapaz program
The Government has authorised in the Council of Ministers the framework agreement of the Ministry of Defence for the acquisition of fixed-wing remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) of class I category Mini type A – between 2 and 15 kg – for the Armed Forces. The framework contract is valued at 45.3 million euros.
The objective, explains the Ministry of Defence, is to provide the units of the Armed Forces with portable ISR systems (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) to improve their capabilities to obtain information in the different operational scenarios in which they carry out their missions.
This type of drone, it continues, guarantees “adaptation to the changing circumstances of these scenarios, both in military operations and in support or assistance operations in emergency situations and civil protection”.
Defence also points out that the Mini Type A fixed-wing unmanned aerial systems, due to their range, autonomy and load capacity, will facilitate “these operational needs by capturing and subsequently sending appropriate information in real time to the deployed units, with total control, both over the sensors that carry out such functions, and aircraft from ground stations, by the operators of the systems.”
The Army already has the go-ahead for the processing of the framework agreement, managed through the Army Logistics Support Command (MALE), which in principle also includes the purchase of UAS for the Air and Space Force and the Navy. The previous announcement was published on the Contracting Platform last April. Now, after the authorization of the Government, the tender will continue its course. The next step is the publication of the tender notice and the specifications with the characteristics of the drones and the number of units to be acquired.