As part of the Civil UAVs Initiative, these projects will develop innovative solutions for the provision of public services using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Promoted by the Xunta de Galicia, the aim of the Civil UAVs Initiative is to consolidate Galicia as a reference region in Europe in the drone segment, to boost economic growth and cohesion in the region, and to mobilise and boost the R&D&I capabilities of Galician technology companies.
The joint venture formed by AERTEC, an international technology and engineering company specialising in Aeronautics and Defence, and Tecnobit-Grupo Oesía, a multinational technology company dedicated to dual-use digital and industrial engineering, has been selected by the Xunta de Galicia for the development of an ambitious joint R&D&I programme focused on research and development of UAS and innovative technologies.
The programme, which is part of the Civil UAVs Initiative, aims to promoting innovative solutions based on unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to improve the provision of public services, to create a public-private partnership for technological innovation in this segment of the aerospace sector and to project a vision for the future of the region.
The initiative is based on the implementation of eight projectseach focused on different key areas of technological development, ranging from the development of innovative electrified aerial platforms to observation instrumentation and artificial intelligence, including the development of advanced communications solutions, in maritime environments or for firefighting, among others. Within this framework, the AERTEC-TECNOBIT joint venture aims to develop innovative products and services related to UAS-related technologies, and the subsequent sale of the resulting products and services.
The projects will be carried out using key infrastructures provided by Xunta de GaliciaThe projects will be carried out at the Rozas aerodrome and the CIAR mixed centre, thus providing an ideal environment for tests and trials. In addition, the Xunta will contribute to the projects with financial and administrative resources to facilitate the necessary research and testing.
It is estimated that up to 51 new direct jobs linked to the aerospace industry will be created thanks to these projects. y around 540 indirect jobs in the region until 2028, as the joint venture formed by Tecnobit-Grupo Oesía and AERTEC will maintain the employment commitment with the contracted personnel and will incorporate them into subsequent programmes such as FCAS, EUROMALE, SIRTAP and EDF, which guarantees years of work and demand for skills.
The collaboration with SMEs and large Galician companies will strengthen the local supply chain and create an innovative and sustainable industrial environment, diversifying traditional industry towards the aeronautics sector. Also, the technology industry, especially ICT, will benefit from software-intensive developments.
In addition, the programme provides for the collaboration with various research groups from the Universities of Vigo, A Coruña and Santiago.as well as with several galician technology centresThis will increase their competitiveness in the aerospace field, allowing them to open up new fields of research, collaborate with companies in the sector and generate reinvestment and future collaborations.
The creation of the AERTEC-Tecnobit-Grupo Oesía joint venture, and its establishment in Galicia, reaffirms the commitment of Grupo Oesía and AERTEC to technological innovation and the regional economic development of Galicia, and underlines the importance of public-private partnerships in fostering technology transfer from the private aerospace sector to other economic sectors, as well as in the creation of quality jobs.
Galicia as an aerospace reference
Since the creation of the Galicia Aerospace Hub in 2015, Galicia has become a pioneering region in the development of the European aerospace industry, attracting significant investments from private entities and consolidating itself as an innovation hub.
AERTEC and Tecnobit-Grupo Oesía are in full setting up a UAS Development Centreas well as a line for the integration of an innovative UAS concept, with hybrid configuration and propulsion. The supply chain of this assembly line will be mainly Galician, creating a new productive environment in the PIR. A Centre of Excellence in aerospace technologies and SW will also be created.
Last year, the Oesia Group inaugurated a new headquarters in the Zona Franca of Vigo. This centre has 40 highly qualified professionals dedicated mainly to the development of one of the European Union's major defence projects, the future European drone Euromale. It also has the offices of its Inster-Grupo Oesía brand, in Pontevedra, for satellite communications projects.
AERTEC, in turn, has developed a Work centre in Lugowhere the Rozas aerodrome and the CIAR mixed centre, with offices for technological development and aerospace engineering, are located. This centre has already incorporated several professionals and continues to grow in capacity.
