Who is Oesía, the Spanish technology company that has become the new major defense contractor

Unless you closely follow the defense sector in Spain, surely the name Oesía will not sound too familiar to you. A few days ago, the company it was news because it will be in charge of providing “eyes” to the Pizarro infantry combat vehicles, and it is not the only defense contract it has recently won.

What is Oesia?. It is a business group financed 100% with Spanish private capital, chaired by the Catalan businessman Luis Furnells, who in turn is the main shareholder. The company has taken an important turn in the last decade and has gone from offering consulting and digital transformation services to focusing on solutions and services for the defense sector through its different brands:

• Oesia Networks: is the original arm of the company dedicated to digital consulting and hyperautomation processes.
• Tecnobit: the jewel in the crown. It is the reference brand in optronics (infrared and night vision), tactical communications and simulation.
• Cipherbit: Oesía boasts that it is the first cybersecurity and secure communications brand certified by NATO.
• UAV Navigation: specialized in guidance, navigation and control systems for unmanned vehicles.
• Inster: focused on satellite communications on the move (SOTM) in land, naval and air environments.

Who is Luis Furnells. He is a Catalan businessman and manager who has dedicated himself mainly to the technology sector. He has been in charge of the Oesía Group since 2012 and, since 2014, also of its subsidiary Tecnobit. On your resume We find companies such as BBVA, La Caixa and Telefónica, in which he served as Chief Information Officer. He also founded the consulting firm LUCARit, which was later integrated into Oesía. One of his recent objectives at the head of the group, embodied in the 2023-2025 strategic planwas precisely to consolidate its position as a reference company in the field of defense. And he is achieving it.

Why it is important. Oesía, specifically its subsidiary Tecnobit, has been chosen by Santa Bárbara Sistemas to modernize the fleet of Pizarro combat vehicles. Tecnobit has also been selected for produce key components for the PAC 3 missileof Lockheed Martinone of the more advanced missile defense systems. Oesía will manufacture specialized wiring and harnesses, positioning itself as an important player not only in national territory, but in international defense programs.

Oesía is not alone. The company is not alone in its entry into the defense sector. As they point out in Digital Economyone of the most important contracts they have signed with their subsidiary Cipherbit, was achieved through an alliance with Epicom, a company dedicated to the design of cryptographic and key solutions in National Security. Oesía owns 30% of Epicomanother 30% Indra and the remaining 40% belongs to the State Society of Industrial Participations (SEPI).

cifras. He Rearmament report from the National Security Observatory includes the contract won as a result of the alliance between Cipherbit and Epicom, which is placed in 11th position with an amount of 167 million euros. Another Oesía contract of more than 25 million euros also appears in the same report. In the case of the contract with Santa Bárbara Sistemas to modernize the Pizarro tanks, we are talking about 264 million euros. According to Economía Digital, the awards to Oesía are of at least 192 million euros, almost what the company invoiced in 2024.

Image | Army, Oesía

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