The Chief of the Defense Staff (JEMAD), Admiral General Teodoro Esteban López Calderón, highlighted this Friday the relevance of the joint exercise 'Atlas 26', which has been taking place since last Monday at the Médano del Loro Maneuvering and Shooting Field (Huelva), to "validate on the ground the UAS and C-UAS capabilities."
During his visit to the facilities, accompanied by the Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT), Admiral Pierre Vandier, the JEMAD attended a practical demonstration of detection and neutralization of drones, in which various systems and procedures used against these threats were shown.
After a presentation on the development and the most significant aspects of 'Atlas 26', the Chief of the Defense Staff and the Supreme Allied Commander Transformation directly observed the performance of the weapon systems deployed for the detection and neutralization of drones, following their coordinated operation on the ground.
Both commanders were able to analyze the capabilities of the materials involved, both UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) and C-UAS (Counter Unmanned Aircraft System), and toured the main stations and operational posts installed in the exercise area, where the technical and human resources are concentrated.
Subsequently, Admiral General López Calderón and Admiral Vandier appeared before the media in a joint press conference, in which they emphasized "the importance of this exercise to validate on the ground the UAS and C-UAS capabilities."
Within the framework of 'Atlas 26', the use of 5G technology for the interconnection of C-UAS defense systems and its integration into the command and control structure, as well as in Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD), has also been tested, with the aim of improving coordination and response to unmanned aerial threats.
The exercise has also served as a platform for cooperation with national companies (Indra Sistemas, Escribano Mechanical Engineering, Sener, Atl Europa, Amper, Thalanor, Asedios Group, Adevex, Art, Sensia, Vig-Sec-Drone, Armmo Defense Technologies, Ericsson), with universities (University of Alcalá de Henares and Polytechnic University of Madrid) and with experimentation centers of the Armed Forces, in order to continue promoting innovation and technological development (R&D) in air defense capabilities against drones.
'Atlas 26' is the result of a broad effort of coordination and planning by the Command of Support to Maneuver, which has integrated the Armed Forces and the State Security Forces and Corps, with the purpose of guaranteeing a quick and effective response to any aerial threat that attempts to undermine national sovereignty or put at risk the Spanish forces deployed abroad.