Madrid, Spain. Alpha Unmanned Systems on May 21 announced the successful completion of a Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) exercise conducted in collaboration with Airbus Helicopters and the Spanish Armada. The demonstration showcased the operational integration of unmanned and crewed aerial assets in a live maritime environment.
Alpha’s A900 UAV helicopter was deployed from the Spanish Navy’s BAM P-42 class patrol vessel “Rayo”, approximately 20 nautical miles off the coast of Cádiz, Spain, where it conducted a fully autonomous flight mission, including automated takeoff and landing 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 transmitted live flight telemetry and streamed video directly to the cockpit of the crewed aircraft. This transmission of mission data was made possible by HTeaming, Airbus Helicopters’ modular crewed-uncrewed teaming solution. The system allows for more efficient mission execution by integrating the sensors and effectors of uncrewed systems into manned helicopter operations.
Data feeds from the A900 UAV were sent to the ship through the Helicopter Integrated Tactical System (HITS), a tactical console engineered by Airbus Helicopters. HITS acted as the bridge between the UAS system and the ship, providing information in a format usable by the ship’s NAIAD system, developed by Navantia.
Together, the two aerial platforms demonstrated the operational potential of combined manned-unmanned assets for naval surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
Control of the A900 unmanned helicopter and data transmission were supported by Alpha’s in-house designed Vessel-based Control Station, a fully-mobile UAV control system featuring a gyrostabilised tracking antenna, purpose-built for operations at sea.
This marks the second time Alpha Unmanned Systems has conducted Manned-Unmanned teaming with Airbus Helicopters (Foro de Toledo 2024) and the third time Alpha Unmanned Systems has conducted flight missions aboard Spanish Navy BAM vessels, following previous deployments during the RepMus and Dynamic Messenger NATO 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 flight demonstration was attended by senior officials from the Spanish Navy, the Guardia Civil’s Servicio Aéreo Unit, and international navy personnel.
The A900’s operational relevance in Spain continues to grow. Spain’s Guardia Civil has recently announced the acquisition of the A900 system for deployment aboard patrol vessels operating in coastal waters between Spain and North Africa. Combined with other aerial assets, the A900 system will support the fight against organised drug smuggling, approved as emergency measures in January 2026 by Spain’s Interior Ministry.
