The Spanish Navy has conducted a tactical exercise off Rota, Cádiz, to validate the simultaneous operation of a surface vessel, a crewed helicopter and unmanned aerial systems in a single naval framework. The trials brought together the offshore patrol vessel BAM Rayo (P-42), a Navy-operated Airbus H135 helicopter and two different remotely piloted aircraft systems: the fixed-wing Flexrotor from Airbus and the rotary-wing Alpha 900 from Alpha Unmanned Systems.
According to information released by the Navy and Airbus Helicopters, both drones performed takeoffs and landings from the moving BAM Rayo while also being controlled in flight from the H135. A pilot on board the helicopter managed the unmanned aircraft using Airbus’s HTeaming solution, a tablet-based system designed to let helicopter crews supervise and task drones in real time. The system was demonstrated as platform-agnostic, integrating both the Flexrotor and Alpha 900.
The exercise focused on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, including tracking a fast surface target. Live video and tactical data from the drones were transmitted simultaneously to the H135 and directly to the BAM Rayo’s combat information center, extending the ship’s sensor reach well beyond its organic radar and electro-optical systems. The test campaign aimed to validate the helicopter’s role as a command platform for subordinated drones and to assess how combined manned–unmanned aviation can enhance maritime situational awareness and threat detection in complex naval environments.