Spanish UAS Concern’s A900 Platform Granted Official Nod

The A900 system from Alpha Unmanned Systems(AUS), acquired by the Dirección General de Armamento y Material (DGAM) for the Matacán Schools Group (GRUEMA), has successfully completed the process of obtaining its Certificate of Airworthiness for Experimentation (CAE).

Subject certificate has been issued by the Deputy Directorate General of Inspection, Regulation, and Defense Industrial Strategy (INREID) and authorizes the Alpha Unmanned Systems’ A900 to be operated as an aircraft within the fleet of aircraft belonging to Spain’s Armed Forces.

For Alpha Unmanned Systems, obtaining the CAE for their A900 system is of great importance, as it represents a further step towards obtaining the Type Certificate and eliminates the need for additional procedures to obtain other CAEs for new A900 systems.

In addition to confirming their A900 helicopter as a reliable and robust product, the CAE ensures that the aircraft is safe and its use is authorized under the Defense Airworthiness Regulations (RAD).

Manufactured by the Spanish company Alpha Unmanned Systems, based in San Sebastián de los Reyes, Madrid, the A900 was acquired as part of the Spanish Ministry of Defense’s Rapaz Project—an initiative undertaken for purpose of evaluating Class I (maximum take-off weight less than 150-kilograms/330-pounds) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) developed by Spain’s domestic aerospace industry. In particular, the RAPAZ Project seeks to gauge the suitability of such machines to Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

Previously, the Spanish Ministry of Defense acquired two Alpha Unmanned Systems A800 UAS with the aim of providing such to the Unmanned Aerial Systems Military School (EMUAS). The unmanned A900 helicopter, along with its control station and redundant data link, will enable EMUAS to train defense operators to competently operate the platform.

By dint of recent international sales contracts, AUS has positioned itself at the forefront of Spanish technological advancement and garnered significant interest from prominent world navies. In the naval context, the company’s systems operate as squadrons or technological demonstrators for the Greek Navy, the Indonesian Coast Guard, the Spanish Ministry of Defense, and the U.S. Department of Defense. In Spain, the systems are alternately utilized in a multipurpose capacity by the INTA and UME.

FMI: www.alphaunmannedsystems.com