Spanish defense firm Indra has unveiled a modular weapon system configurable with mission-specific payloads at FEINDEF defense exhibition 2025, Madrid.
Called the VALERO, the system comprises a multi-purpose air vehicle (MAV), a configurable surface launcher, a planning and control ground segment, and associated support equipment.
The lightweight autonomous weapon can fly in different modes and is expendable, or optionally recoverable, and can be launched from a range of aerial and surface platforms.
In a mass attack, it can collaborate with other systems and “deceive” enemy’s electromagnetic signals.
“These features, together with its ability to saturate and deceive, the possibility of low-cost mass combat with a high number of MAVs, and its collaborative capabilities for work with other participants in the mission, will enable VALERO to increase combat power during operations,” Indra explained.
“Consequently, it will become a key player when it comes to dealing with the new threats set to emerge in the future multi-domain scenarios, while reducing the degree of risk faced by the crews and valuable platforms.”
Sovereign Capability
A fully domestic product, VALERO emerged from a project launched in 2023.
It fulfills the needs of the Spanish Armed Forces and promotes strategic autonomy of Spain and Europe in a key future defense technology.
The weapon will boost industrial and technological development with dual civil and military impact, projecting Spanish industry on the world stage.
“The aim of this innovative, ambitious and structural project is to drive the national industrial fabric throughout the country,” director of weapons and ammunitions at Indra Manuel Rodríguez Cerezo said.
“For this purpose, we’re collaborating with different companies in the sector, attracting talent, endowing ourselves with industrial capabilities, and relying on universities and specialized centers.
With VALERO we’ll contribute to reinforcing our industry, creating quality jobs and consolidating industrial corridors that can address the new challenges facing the sector and help us define the future of defence.”
Following the definition of the weapon’s operational concept, architecture, and systems engineering, Indra is working on the VALERO’s design and demonstrators.
