He SIRTAP It is not a new name in the Spanish defense. Airbus and the Ministry of Defense have been presenting it for some time as a program called to strengthen tactical capabilities, industrial development and greater sovereignty in defense capabilities, but this entire journey has a milestone that weighs more than any calendar: seeing it take off for the first time. That image has not yet been produced. What we have now is a prior advance, important precisely because it places the program closer to that moment and forces us to sort out the underlying question: what exactly is SIRTAP and why Spain has been pushing it for years.
The ground test: The progress communicated by Airbus Defense It occurred on the runway of the Getafe Air Base, right next to the company’s facilities. There, the Airbus U850 SIRTAP completed its first taxi under full control from the ground control station. The test served to verify very specific elements: braking, steering, navigation sensors and commands sent from the station itself. In other words, the objective was to verify that the system begins to behave as an integrated aircraft, not as a sum of separately tested parts.
It’s not just any drone: The SIRTAP is, in simple terms, an unmanned military aircraft controlled from the ground and designed to look further, for longer and in more demanding conditions than a conventional short-range system. Airbus presents it as a high-performance tactical UAS, with more than 20 hours of autonomy, range of more than 2,000 km and capacity for ISR missions, that is, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Its design also includes day and night operations, maritime surveillance and the simultaneous use of two payloads, such as electro-optical sensors and radar.
The lesson from Ukraine: The importance of SIRTAP is best understood if we look at the role that unmanned systems have gained in recent conflicts. A CSIS Analysis on the lessons from Ukraine summarizes a clear idea: UAVs have extended operational range, reduced soldier exposure, and become common tools for reconnaissance, target acquisition, and precision strikes. This reading does not make the Spanish program a direct consequence of that war, but it does place it within an evident trend.
Industrial dimension. The Ministry of Defense acquired nine SIRTAP systems, a formula that does not translate into nine aircraft, but in 27 unmanned aircraft and nine ground control stations, because each system is made up of three devices and one station. Added to this are two simulators to train Spanish operators. According to Defenseall aircraft will be manufactured and assembled at the Airbus Defense and Space plant in Getafe, with Airbus as the driving company and with the participation of Spanish companies. The Ministry itself has defined it as the first Class II/III military aeronautical system developed entirely in Spain.
The calendar: The temporal nuance is important because the first flight does not now appear as a pending surprise, but as a milestone that was already on the roadmap. Airbus placed it in 2025 when he announced the contract with Defense in November 2023and the Ministry again indicated that same year as a reference in January 2025. Later, in June 2025Airbus explained that the prototype was ready to begin ground testing and that the inaugural flight was scheduled for the end of that year. With the new progress communicated by Airbus, the conclusion is clear: the program is moving, but the forecast for the first flight in 2025 is already behind us.
Next step. SIRTAP is no longer just a promise on paper and is already beginning to pass real checks on the runway, but Airbus still has new test phases ahead before the flight campaign. The important thing is not to confuse one thing with the other: moving on the ground is not equivalent to taking off. It does confirm, however, that the project is approaching the moment that has marked its narrative for years. The next big leap will not be symbolic: it will be seen in the air.
Images | Airbus
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