The Spanish anti-drone shield that marks a milestone for NATO: how the ARACNE system works

1. Total integration: from radar to the Aerospace Operations Command
2. On The Move tactical mobility against asymmetrical threats
3. Spain at the forefront of European air defence

The protection of airspace against massive attacks by unmanned aerial vehicles has become one of Europe's greatest security challenges. In this critical scenario, Spanish industry has stepped up.

The ARACNE anti-drone system, jointly developed by Indra and EM&E, demonstrated its full capability to integrate into the national air defence architecture during the recent ATLAS 26 exercises held in Huelva from 19 to 23 October.

This breakthrough not only marks a milestone for the Spanish Armed Forces, but also establishes Spain as a benchmark of technical leadership within NATO, precisely as the continent seeks efficient solutions to shield its borders and strategic spaces against asymmetrical threats.

Total integration: from radar to the Aerospace Operations Command

One of the greatest technological challenges in counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) warfare is preventing the isolation of systems. Until now, many solutions operated as watertight elements that were difficult to synchronise with major air defence umbrellas.

During the ATLAS 26 manoeuvres, ARACNE overcame this barrier by connecting directly to the Aerospace Operations Command (MOA) air defence system via the Anti-Aircraft Artillery Operations Centre (COAAAS+), a technology also developed by Indra.

Thanks to this unified architecture, operational deployment achieves decisive advantages in combat situations:

• Common and rapid picture: Shared tactical visibility is generated, drastically shortening the decision-making cycle.
• Intelligent assignment: The system prioritises threats based on their risk and trajectory, automatically selecting the most appropriate sensor or effector.
• Multi-layered protection: Operational duplication is avoided, optimising available resources and responding with pinpoint effectiveness against saturation attacks or Class I and II drone swarms.

On The Move tactical mobility against asymmetrical threats

Beyond its static capability to protect critical infrastructure, ARACNE introduces a key differential advantage for the modern battlefield: On The Move protection.

Using Indra's NEMUS mobile radars, the system is capable of accompanying military units during their manoeuvres in the field. In this way, defence coverage is extended to moving columns — such as command posts, logistic convoys, and combat elements — without relying on fixed positions and drastically reducing their vulnerability.

This operational flexibility relies on a high-performance technological chain:

1. C4ARMS: The advanced command and control system linking local sensors to higher echelons of air defence.
2. Brontes: A powerful jammer specifically designed to neutralise UAS communications and guidance.
3. OTEOS and GUARDIAN: On EM&E's part, the OTEOS electro-optical sensor provides pinpoint tracking and identification, whilst GUARDIAN remote weapon stations execute the physical neutralisation of the threat in a proportionate manner.

Spain at the forefront of European air defence

The operational validation of ARACNE in an environment as demanding as ATLAS 26 — where procedures were tested under a single command bringing together the Armed Forces and Security Forces — confirms the maturity of a solution developed in record time of just two years.

At a time when Europe is debating the launch of large-scale community defence initiatives, such as building a drone wall on the eastern flank, Spanish industry demonstrates that it possesses the knowledge, agility, and technological leadership required to equip the armed forces with autonomous, interoperable capabilities prepared for present and future conflicts.