Indra unveils VALERO, a multidomain autonomous weapon system
VALERO combines a disposable UAV for air or ground launch, a control unit, and collaborative capabilities.
Just days before the inauguration of FEINDEF 2025, Indra has unveiled the first details of its new VALERO weapons system, a fully integrated solution developed entirely in Spain. The system comprises a lightweight multipurpose aerial vehicle, a configurable surface launcher, a ground segment for planning and control, and the corresponding support equipment.
Designed for multi-domain operations and high-intensity scenarios, VALERO integrates capabilities for saturation, electronic deception, and collaborative combat. These features are aimed at maximizing operational impact through the mass deployment of low-cost platforms.
VALERO stems from a project launched in 2023 and is positioned as a critical capability for the strategic autonomy of Spain and Europe. It aligns with the goals set out in the EU Strategic Compass and reflects emerging trends in network-centric warfare and collaborative engagement. Its modular design allows for various payload configurations, including sensors, kinetic effects, and electronic warfare tools, enabling adaptability across a wide range of missions.
The system consists of four main components:
- The Multipurpose Aerial Vehicle (VAM): low-cost, expendable or optionally recoverable.
- A Configurable Surface Launcher (LSC).
- A Planning and Control Ground Segment (EPC).
- Associated support equipment.
Engineered for launch from multiple platforms—including manned and unmanned aerial systems as well as ground-based vehicles—the VAM can operate autonomously or in swarms. It serves as a force multiplier for missions such as penetration, reconnaissance, air defense suppression, and sensor saturation. Its design also emphasizes interoperability with other networked systems, allowing it to function as a node within advanced C4ISR architectures, consistent with Indra’s ongoing developments under the European FCAS program.
In this context, VALERO benefits from Indra’s expertise as the Spanish lead in the Combat Cloud segment of FCAS, one of its foundational pillars. The program aims to interconnect manned and unmanned platforms through secure networks, distributed sensors, and artificial intelligence to enable collaborative combat in multi-domain environments.
At the pre-FEINDEF presentation, Manuel Rodríguez Cerezo, Indra’s Director of Weapons & Ammunitions, emphasized the program’s strategic value:
“With VALERO we contribute to strengthening our industry, creating high-quality jobs, and consolidating industrial corridors capable of meeting new sector challenges and shaping the future of defense.”
Beyond advancing technological autonomy, Indra also highlighted the system’s dual-use potential in civil security and surveillance. Additionally, it acts as a catalyst for the Spanish industrial ecosystem, engaging companies, universities, and technology centers across the country.
Indra is currently finalizing the system’s definition and developing the first demonstrators, moving toward a capability that, due to its design and integration level, could place Spain among the few nations with indigenous solutions in this emerging category of weapons systems—key to the battlefield of the future.
AUTOR
Apasionado por la aviación, la historia, la política y la defensa. Editor-in-Chief en Aviacionline Defensa, combinando estos conocimiento para ofrecer un contenido valioso sobre temas estratégicos y de seguridad.
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