Alpha Unmanned Systems has successfully completed a live maritime Manned-Unmanned Teaming exercise in collaboration with Airbus Helicopters and the Spanish Armada.
During the demonstration, an A900 UAV helicopter was deployed from the Spanish Navy’s BAM P-42 class patrol vessel Rayo, positioned approximately 20 nautical miles off the coast of Cádiz, Spain. The uncrewed platform conducted a fully autonomous flight mission, which included automated takeoff and landing operations directly from the ship’s deck.
Operating in coordination with a Spanish Navy Airbus H135 P3H (Nival) manned helicopter flying from Naval Station Rota, the A900 streamed live flight telemetry and video directly to the cockpit of the crewed aircraft. This direct data transmission was enabled by HTeaming, Airbus Helicopters’ modular crewed-uncrewed teaming solution designed to integrate the sensors and effectors of uncrewed systems into manned operations.
Data feeds from the UAV were also transmitted to the vessel via the Helicopter Integrated Tactical System (HITS), a tactical console engineered by Airbus Helicopters. HITS served as the bridge between the uncrewed aerial system and the ship, formatting the incoming data for integration into the ship’s NAIAD system, which was developed by Navantia.
Mission control and data transmission were supported by Alpha’s proprietary Vessel-based Control Station, a fully mobile UAV control system equipped with a gyrostabilised tracking antenna built specifically for maritime operations. This exercise represents the second collaboration of this type between Alpha Unmanned Systems and Airbus Helicopters, and marks the third time Alpha’s platforms have operated aboard Spanish Navy BAM vessels, following previous deployments during NATO’s RepMus and Dynamic Messenger exercises.
Eric Freeman, CEO of Alpha Unmanned Systems, commented, “I am very pleased that our A900 UAV helicopter performed flawlessly in a real operational scenario of manned-unmanned teaming at sea. The future of maritime aerial surveillance depends on the interoperability of systems. The effective combination of crewed and uncrewed assets, where unmanned platforms like the A900 can act as a lower cost, more versatile force multiplier, enhance awareness and reduce aircrew risk.”
The live demonstration was attended by senior officials from the Spanish Navy, the Guardia Civil’s Servicio Aéreo Unit, and international navy personnel. The exercise follows the recent announcement by Spain’s Guardia Civil to acquire the A900 system for deployment on patrol vessels operating in coastal waters between Spain and North Africa, where the system will support counter-smuggling operations approved under emergency measures by Spain’s Interior Ministry in January 2026.
