Airbus Helicopters and the Spanish Navy successfully completed a tactical flight trial earlier this month in Rota, Spain, showcasing advanced crewed-uncrewed teaming capabilities during maritime operations.

The exercise brought together the offshore patrol vessel Rayo, a Spanish Navy H135 helicopter and two unmanned aerial systems, the Airbus Flexrotor and Alpha Unmanned Systems’ A900 using Airbus’ HTeaming solution.

The demonstration validated the real-time control of drones and the sharing of live imagery between unmanned systems, helicopters and naval vessels, establishing an effective multi-domain operational link. This capability enables naval crews to receive critical intelligence from well beyond the ship’s normal sensor range directly at the combat station.

During the trials, both unmanned aerial systems successfully conducted take-offs and landings from the moving patrol vessel. A pilot inside the H135 helicopter controlled the drones during flight using the HTeaming tablet, which also demonstrated its flexibility by integrating the Alpha A900 platform.

The scenario simulated a high-speed boat chase as part of an ISTAR maritime mission. The Flexrotor and Alpha A900 tracked the target while transmitting live video feeds to both the helicopter and the ship in real time.

The information gathered by the drones was integrated into NAIAD (Naval Advanced Integrated Autonomous Vehicles Defence system), Navantia’s tactical integration system for unmanned platforms. NAIAD allows command, control and interoperability between aerial, surface and underwater unmanned systems within SCOMBA, the Spanish Navy combat management system developed by Navantia.

“Airbus Helicopters is committed to exploring new frontiers in crewed-uncrewed teaming that brings real added value to customers,” said Fernando Lombo, Managing Director of Airbus Helicopters in Spain.

“The close collaboration between pioneering companies such as Airbus, Navantia and Alpha Unmanned Systems combined with the trust of public entities like the Spanish Navy shows our shared potential to strengthen Europe’s role as a sovereign leader in defence. By working together we are proving that we can deliver the innovative technology necessary to secure a leading position on the global stage.”

The H135 crew managed the unmanned platforms through the HTeaming tablet, Airbus Helicopters’ modular crewed-uncrewed teaming solution. The system gives helicopter crews full control over UAS operations during flight and enables the integration of unmanned sensors into crewed missions to improve operational effectiveness.

At the same time, data collected by the unmanned systems was processed through the Helicopter Integrated Tactical System, a tactical console developed by Airbus. This system acted as the bridge between the helicopter and the vessel, ensuring all information remained compatible with the NAIAD/SCOMBA combat system.

The successful demonstration marks another important step in the evolution of integrated multi-domain operations and highlights the growing importance of crewed-uncrewed teaming in modern naval warfare.

Future developments will focus on expanding these capabilities further including the exploration of drone swarm technologies and enhanced integration between air, sea and land-based assets.