Spain is forging ahead with plans to become one of Europe’s leading nations in the unmanned arena through the launch of two connected initiatives that will place the country, and the region of Andalucía in particular, at the forefront of unmanned air vehicle research and test.
This year the Atlas (air traffic laboratory for advanced systems) center was formally opened to provide a location for small UAV testing, while larger vehicles can be tested at CEUS (center of excellence for unmanned systems), an extension of an existing test center to cater for medium UAVs. Both locations offer ideal locations for unmanned air vehicle testing, with weather patterns providing an average of 300 sunny days each year.
CEUS is located alongside the INTA (Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aerosespacial) El Arenosillo test center at Moguer, near Huelva. Construction is about to start of new facilities for the testing of UAVs with an mtow of more than 650 kg, and to allow long-endurance flying.
Its proximity to the large INTA missile/weapons range at Mazagon provides a large area of restricted, instrumented airspace for test flying, mostly over water. The segmented airspace has been created to provide the necessary range area, but without impact on the operations of Sevilla and Jerez de la Frontera civilian airports.
Funded to the tune of around $55 million (€40 million–€21 million from the European Regional Development Fund, €9 million from the Andalucian regional government and €10 million from INTA/Spanish ministry of defense), CEUS will have a runway close to the shore, control tower, apron, hangarage and administrative buildings. The El Arenosillo range already hosts some UAV and aerial target trials, but until the runway is completed they can be undertaken only by air-dropped or ramp-launched vehicles.
Atlas Operational
Meanwhile, the partner to CEUS is already operational. Located near the town of Villacarillo in Jaén province, Atlas has the distinction of being Europe’s first purpose-built UAV test center, constructed at a green-field site that was carefully chosen to provide the best test conditions and the lowest environmental impact. Whereas CEUS is intended to handle UAVs above 650 kg mtow, Atlas is designed for test of vehicles below that weight (with a maximum wing span of 12 meters).
Formally opened by the president of Andalucía on March 21 this year, Atlas is also funded via ERDF and government channels, with a combined investment of €4.5 million. However, its design has also been undertaken in close cooperation with potential customers, including Boeing Research and Technology Europe, which is the first to use the center. Airbus Defence and Space is another “major” that has significant interest in the new test centers, having identified CEUS as a key location for testing its Atalante and new Barracuda vehicles.
Atlas offers segregated airspace up to 5,000 feet over an area of more than 1,000 square kilometers of sparsely populated farmland, mostly given over to olive production. The center has a control tower equipped with a Harrier surveillance radar that provides a number of services, such as vehicle tracking, range safety to monitor any aircraft that might stray into the airspace and warning of large-bird activity that may hinder UAV tests.
Operations are conducted from a 600-meter runway constructed at Herrera, which has the option of being extended to 800 meters. There is also a 400-meter auxiliary grass strip. Hangarage is provided, and the control tower doubles as office space, with mission-planning rooms. The site provides ample space for expansion, if required.
Atlas began operations in October 2013, ahead of its formal opening, and now hosts a variety of UAV types, from small rotary-wing systems up to more sizable fixed-wing aircraft such as the USol K150. A key partner is the Sevilla-based CATEC research center, which can provide a number of services, including its own air vehicles, experienced pilots for remotely controlled aircraft, and mobile telemetry/control/datalink services.
