Indra Presents State-of-the-art Unmanned Systems, Counter-UAS and Radars at the Spanish Army's 2E+I Forum 35, Strengthening Capabilities

Indra participated in the eighth edition of the 2E+I Army 35 Forum, which brought together military leaders and industry representatives. The focus of this year’s edition was a new perspective on maneuver warfare, with Indra contributing insights into three strategic areas: battlefield automation, counter-drone defense, and firepower dominance.

In a context where drone usage has become widespread, it is essential to have both proprietary systems and protection bubbles that allow units to move safely across terrain.

Manuel Rodríguez Cerezo, Director of Indra’s Weapons and Ammunitions division, spoke on the panel about battlefield robotization, moderated by Major General Enrique Silvela Díaz-Criado, Chief of Staff of the High Readiness Land Headquarters. Rodríguez Cerezo stated, “Ukraine has shown us that conflicts are increasingly moving toward robotized engagements, led by drones,” and highlighted “the capabilities offered by the Tarsis family of unmanned systems in its two versions: one designed for intelligence gathering, surveillance, and target designation (ISTAR), and the other additionally capable of carrying light weaponry to suppress unarmored targets.”

He also referred to VALERO, Indra’s multipurpose aerial vehicle-based weapon system, designed to disrupt enemy defenses, act as a decoy, or even function as a missile. It offers an optimized cost-effectiveness solution applicable across all domains.
José Carlos Hidalgo, Head of Counter-Drone Systems Engineering at Indra’s Weapons and Ammunitions unit, presented the mobile counter-drone solution the company is developing during the roundtable on counter-drone combat, moderated by Major General Ramón Armada Vázquez, Chief of Staff of the Canary Islands Command. The system integrates detection, electronic warfare, and distributed command and control across several interconnected vehicles, creating a mobile protection bubble.

Hidalgo emphasized that “success in delivering such a flexible and operationally adapted solution lies in deep knowledge of sensors and effectors, and the ability to integrate not only proprietary systems but also third-party ones.”
As part of the mobile C-UAS solution, Hidalgo highlighted the role of Nemus, a small, lightweight flat-faced AESA electronic scanning radar designed by Indra specifically to protect military vehicles. He noted that Indra is currently one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of counter-drone systems.

Indra’s participation in the forum also included Miguel Ángel de Díez, Operational Advisor for Land Systems, who spoke at the roundtable on fire superiority. Moderated by Major General Alberto Javier García Romera, Chief of Staff of the Land Force, de Díez showcased the capabilities of Indra’s new fifth-generation multifunction radar, the MTR 5. This cutting-edge system is specially designed for high-intensity scenarios, offering unique detection and tracking capabilities.

“The MTR 5 radar calculates the origin of enemy fire, alerts friendly units that may be threatened, provides data to interception systems to destroy projectiles in flight, and supports decision-making to issue counter-fire orders. It has a high detection capability for both surface (land and naval) and aerial targets, including those with low radar signatures such as UAVs, with a level of precision far superior to any current counter-battery radar,” explained de Díez.

With a range exceeding 90 kilometers, the radar is mounted on a vehicle for full mobility and rapid deployment and withdrawal. Its radar signature has also been reduced to make it harder to detect, and it can be used independently or integrated into a surveillance network. Additionally, it can act as a remote sensor for Indra’s Semi-Automatic Anti-Aircraft Artillery Operations Center (COAAAS), which controls medium-, short-, and very short-range weapon systems to protect a specific point or area.