- Framed within the Civil UAVs Initiative, these projects will allow the development of innovative solutions for the provision of public services using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
- Promoted by the Xunta de Galicia, the objective 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, as well as to mobilize and boost the R&D&I capabilities of Galician technology companies.
Madrid, January 8, 2025 – The joint venture formed by Tecnobit-Grupo Oesía, a multinational technology company dedicated to dual-use digital and industrial engineering, and AERTEC, an international technology and engineering company specialized in Aeronautics and Defense, has been selected by the Xunta de Galicia for the development of an ambitious joint R&D&I program focused on the research and development of UAS and innovative technologies. The program, which is part of the Civil UAVs Initiative, aims to promote innovative solutions based on unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to improve the provision of public services, create a public-private collaboration pole of technological innovation in this segment of the aerospace sector and project a vision of the future for the region. The initiative is based on the execution of eight projects, each 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 solutions in advanced communications, in maritime environments or for firefighting, among others, as well as dual projects. 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 the Xunta de Galicia, such as the Rozas aerodrome and the CIAR mixed center, thus providing an ideal environment for testing 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 thanks to these projects up to 51 new direct jobs linked to the aerospace industry and around 540 indirect jobs will be created in the region until 2028, since 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 programs 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 the traditional industry towards the aeronautical sector. Also, the technology industry, especially ICT, will benefit from software-intensive developments. In addition, the program contemplates the collaboration with several research groups from the Universities of Vigo, A Coruña and Santiago, as well as with several Galician technological centers, which will increase their competitiveness in the aerospace field, allowing them to open new research fields, collaborate with companies in the sector and generate reinvestments and future collaborations. The creation of the joint venture AERTEC-Tecnobit-Grupo Oesía, and its establishment in Galicia, reaffirms the commitment of Grupo Oesía and AERTEC with the technological innovation and the Galician regional economic development, and underlines the importance of the public-private collaboration to promote the transfer of technology from the aerospace private sector to other economic sectors, as well as in the creation of quality employment.
Galicia as an aerospace reference
Since the creation of the Galicia Aerospace Pole 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 the process of implementing a UAS Development Center, as well as an integration line 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 Center of Excellence in aerospace technologies and SW will also be created. Grupo Oesía inaugurated last year a new headquarters in the Zona Franca of Vigo. This center has 40 highly qualified professionals dedicated mainly to the development of one of the great defense projects of the European Union, the future European drone Euromale. It also has the offices of its brand Inster-Grupo Oesía, in Pontevedra, for satellite communications projects. AERTEC, in turn, has created a work center in Lugo, where the Rozas aerodrome and the mixed CIAR center are located, with offices for technological development and aerospace engineering. This center has already incorporated several professionals and continues to grow in capacity.