Droner - Spania går for Reaper - UAS Vision

State Dept Clears Spain’s $243M Reaper Purchase

The US State Department has approved Spain’s request to purchase four General Atomics-built Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles and associated equipment from the U.S. under a $243 million foreign military sale.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Tuesday that in addition to the systems themselves, the sale would include 20 Embedded Global Positioning System/Inertial Guidance United (three per aircraft plus eight spares); two Mobile Ground Control Stations; five multi-Spectral Targeting Systems (one per aircraft plus one spare); and five Synthetic Aperture Radar, Lynx AN/APY-8 (also one per aircraft plus a spare).

“The Spanish Air Force intends to use the MQ-9s for homeland security, peacekeeping, peace enforcement, counterinsurgency and counter-terrorism operations,” according to the solicit posted on the Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s website. “The proposed sale improves Spain’s ability to meet current and future threats by providing improved ISR coverage that promotes increased battlefield situational awareness, anticipates enemy intent, augments combat search and rescue, and provides ground troop support.”

Spain intends to use the drones purely for ISR, so the vehicles will not be armed.

Although the notice that the State Department has cleared the sale was posted on the DSCA’s website, that does not mean the sale has been completed. Congress must still OK it, and then a contract must be drawn up and finalized.

Spain also requested logistics services, program support and personnel training.