Sener and GA-ASI will showcase the Reapers capabilities at UNVEX S&D

The Spanish company Sener, along with its partner General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI), will again be present at the European summit on remotely-piloted aircraft systems, Unvex Security & Defense (Unvex S&D), which will take place in the northwestern Spanish city of León between May 29-31.

Both companies will showcase at the fair’s exhibition grounds the capabilities of the American manufacturer’s MALE (Medium Altitude, Long Endurance) system, Reaper. This RPAS has been bought by Spain’s Air Force, which will receive three out of the four aircraft next year.

Sener will provide support to the systems’ life cycles and produce and give support to components for the Reaper MQ-9/Predator B series, according to the deal reached between both companies.

It is also worth mentioning that during the fair, a Reaper MQ-9 from the French Air Force will fly over León while transmitting live footage to the Virgen del Camino airbase.

The Reaper MQ-9 can be operated by remote control both within the pilot’s field of view and beyond the pilot’s visual line of sight (BVLOS) through a satellite connection. It can reach a maximum altitude of about 14,000 meters (46,000 feet) and is able to remain airborne for more than 26 consecutive hours. It can reach a speed of 440 kilometers per hour (273 miles per hour) with an external load of 1,700 kilos (3,748 pounds). GA-ASI’s Reaper fleet has now surpassed the two-million mark when it comes to total flight hours.

Communications systems

A Sener representative will take part on Tuesday, May 29, in a roundtable discussion on Initiatives with New Technologies, with a talk titled Communications Systems for RPAS.

The company will present the development of its complete latest-generation multi-band data-link system for UAS. This innovation, Sener said, “has been made possible thanks to the company’s experience in multi-band communications – X and K bands – for special missions, especially in research projects of the European Space Agency (ESA).”