Airbus said on Wednesday that it had successfully completed a tactical flight trial with the Spanish Navy, demonstrating coordination between crewed helicopters, drones, and naval vessels in a multi-domain maritime operation.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, Airbus said the exercise, conducted earlier this month in Rota, Spain, involved a Spanish Navy H135 helicopter, the offshore patrol vessel Rayo, and two unmanned aerial systems — the Airbus Flexrotor and Alpha Unmanned Systems’ A900 drone — operating together through Airbus’ HTeaming platform.

The company said the trial validated real-time drone control and live information sharing between crewed and uncrewed platforms, enabling naval vessels to receive surveillance data from beyond their normal sensor range.

During the exercise, both drone systems successfully conducted takeoffs and landings from a moving naval vessel while a pilot aboard the H135 helicopter controlled the aircraft through Airbus’ HTeaming tablet system. The demonstration simulated a maritime intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) mission involving a high-speed boat pursuit.

According to Airbus, the drones tracked the simulated target and transmitted live video feeds to both the helicopter and the naval vessel. Information gathered during the operation was integrated into NAIAD, a tactical integration system developed by Navantia for unmanned systems, and linked to SCOMBA, the Spanish Navy’s combat management platform.

Fernando Lombo, managing director of Airbus Helicopters in Spain, said the exercise reflected the company’s efforts to advance crewed-uncrewed operational capabilities.

“Airbus Helicopters is committed to exploring new frontiers in crewed-uncrewed teaming that brings real added value to customers,” Lombo said in the statement.

He added that cooperation among Airbus, Navantia, Alpha Unmanned Systems, and the Spanish Navy demonstrated the potential for strengthening Europe’s defence capabilities and technological autonomy.

Airbus said the HTeaming platform was designed to allow helicopter crews to manage unmanned aerial systems during missions, integrating drone sensors into crewed operations to improve situational awareness and mission effectiveness. The company described the system as modular and platform-agnostic, noting that it successfully integrated Alpha Unmanned Systems’ A900 drone during the trial.

The exercise comes as defence forces globally accelerate efforts to integrate unmanned technologies with conventional military assets, aiming to improve surveillance, intelligence gathering, and operational flexibility while reducing risks to personnel.

For naval and defence operations, the successful demonstration may enhance the ability of ships and helicopters to monitor threats over wider areas and coordinate missions more effectively in maritime environments.

Airbus said future work would focus on expanding drone swarm capabilities and strengthening integration between air, sea, and land-based systems, developments that could play an increasing role in next-generation military operations and European defence cooperation.

Source:  Airbus PR