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2020-01-07

FCAS to Boost Spanish Defence Industry

In a recent statement, Indra, the Spanish information technology and defence systems company, highlighted that, “The Future European Combat Air System (FCAS) programme will entail a tremendous development opportunity for the Spanish industry, and it will consolidate the sector’s position in the competitive arena introduced by the new Europe with its focus on defence.” As the industrial coordinator of the programme, the company conveyed this message to the research organisations and companies that attended the work meeting convened by the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) in December 2019.

During his speech, the FCAS programme director at Indra, Manuel Rodríguez Cerezo, explained that the programme means a “considerable fast-tracking and will create an impact in new dual-nature technology development, which can be marketed to both the military and civilian spheres, big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and advance simulation techniques being just a few of them.”

Indra’s director pointed out that this programme is at the heart of the driving forces in all kinds of national technological capabilities, not only military, and that it shows a pragmatic approach on the part of the State regarding its support for Research and Development (R&D) within Spanish companies.

According to Cerezo, it also benefits from “an enviable inter-ministerial coordination structure, which ensures focus, budget, prominence, industrial planning and a cross-cutting vision of all the programme.” He also affirmed that the Government has displayed “tremendous determination and courage in adhering to the programme during its earliest stages, which will in turn translate into technological development for the country.”

The FCAS will also provide the stability that the sector needs in order to tackle its digital transformation and to foster and facilitate its international business projection and global supply chain integration. Companies, universities and other research bodies will work in the earliest stages of technological development, which will pose an important challenge.

FCAS is a critical programme for Spain with regard to its sovereignty and technological and industrial development and the creation of highly-skilled employment. Indra will perform this work together with the industrial leaders designated in turn by France and Germany (Dassault and Airbus respectively). The company’s selection constitutes recognition of its defence systems capabilities, its experience in international programmes and its suitability for coordinating and acting as a driving force of Spanish industry.

Added Value

Indra, in close collaboration with the Spanish Ministry of Defense and within the framework of the industrial development plan associated with the programme, will reportedly strive to ensure that the Spanish industry participates as actively as possible in the latter and facilitate its access to opportunities for knowledge generation, business development, export capacity, the creation of technologies that can also be used in the civil field and high-value employment generation. The FCAS will generate high levels of knowledge and added value for Spanish companies and provide them with opportunities to develop exportable products beyond the programme.

In addition, in the mid and long terms the top-level technological developments included in the programme will strengthen its future capacity to develop the technologies it now heads throughout Spain and Europe.

According to Cerezo, this is a project for which “we must take advantage of all the capacities, talent and infrastructure available in Spain.” He pointed out that, in order to succeed, it will be imperative for “each company to be clear and realistic in regards to its capacities and interests, and to work cohesively with other partners. A long-term business approach must prevail at all times.”

Indra’s role in the programme will revolve around defending the interests of the Spanish State, coordinating and boosting the Spanish industry’s participation, and functioning as a point of contact and interlocutor with the Directorate-General of Armaments and Material (DGAM).

Cerezo considers that the FCAS will transform the business model of many companies in Spain country, so that R&D and product and proprietary technology development can become the new driving force for growth. It will also serve as a lever to place them at the heart of the European Defence market, which will be seeing an influx of billions of euros in investment in the coming years.

Indra is a company which places innovation at the heart of its business, and has marked out a strategy based on an ecosystem of collaboration among customers, partners and governments in order to develop the most advanced solutions capable of catering to market needs.

Its technological products (radars, electronic defence, command and control, mission systems, etc.) have been widely acknowledged in the defence industry, as well as its ability to handle complex projects throughout the world. In addition, it participates in international programmes, including European ones, such as the EFA, A400M, NH90, Meteor and ESSOR, and non-European and NATO-related ones like the ESSM, FLEPS, ACCS, and many others.

Indra is the only Spanish firm among the hundred leading defence companies in the world and it has received a great deal of international recognition for its development of critical projects for the national defence of the countries it works for and its participation in major European programmes and others within the framework of NATO, due to its proven export capacity.

Reference Text/Photo

www.airbus.com

www.indra.com

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