Indra: Elevating the Spanish Air Force’s Eurofighters with Cutting-Edge Tech

Indra, a foremost global technology and consulting firm, will outfit the Halcón Program’s 20 brand-new Eurofighters, intended to succeed the F18s at the Gando air base in the Canary Islands, with the ESCAN electronic scanning radar and the DASS (Electronic Defence System), two of the most cutting-edge avionics and sensing systems globally, which will guarantee the aircraft’s superiority in the forthcoming decades. The value of these production endeavors exceeds 80 million euros.

Moreover, Indra has extended its maintenance agreement for the current fleet, signifying revenues amounting to 100 million euros, at a rate of 20 million annually over five years.

Ignacio Mataix, Indra’s Chief Executive Officer, stated: “Indra ranks as the second-largest supplier of avionics systems for the Eurofighter and stands alone as the only European company engaged in the diverse radar systems the Eurofighter will incorporate in the future. This guarantees that we possess profound expertise in a crucial technology within the defense sector. This milestone is closely linked to our pledge for the ongoing advancement of cutting-edge technologies, the digital transformation of defense systems, and our ambition to enable the Spanish industry to partake in large-scale defense initiatives while leveraging our position as a global frontrunner.”

The Halcón program encompasses equipping the 20 new Spanish Eurofighters with next-gen electronic scanning radar. This is among the most sophisticated onboard radars that a fighter aircraft can carry. It is designed to ensure that the aircraft is capable of engaging in the conflicts that may emerge in the coming decades.

This system will provide the aircraft with the multifunctional capabilities it requires to simultaneously track numerous targets at close range while scanning the airspace for potential threats across hundreds of kilometers. The sensor guarantees that the aircraft will maintain the air-to-air and air-to-ground combat superiority required by the Spanish Air Force.

Additionally, as a participant in the EuroDASS consortium, Indra will deliver the DASS protection sub-system. This component alerts the pilot upon detecting threats to the aircraft and activates various countermeasures to neutralize the attack, disrupting and deceiving enemy electronic systems. This system is vital for the safeguarding of the aircraft and its pilot, without which safe operations in complex scenarios would be unattainable.

The contracts associated with the Halcón program also entail the provision and integration of over 15 additional sets of avionics equipment for the crucial sub-systems of the platform, including communication and cockpit survival systems, consumables monitoring, and platform health management.

This new initiative supplements the contract worth over 100 million euros that Indra announced last July to outfit 38 German Eurofighters with cutting-edge technology.

Indra’s involvement in the evolution of the Eurofighter will enhance its position as the Spanish industrial coordinator for the NGWS/FCAS Future Air Combat System development program, in which it leads internationally in the sensor category and domestically in three other areas.