Indra Group will create in León the main and most advanced multipurpose drone factory in Spain to respond to Special Modernization Programs

Indra Group will build in León the main and most advanced factory of multipurpose unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and loitering munition, as part of its industrial growth strategy and expansion of its national footprint to respond to the Special Modernization Programs.

During a meeting held at the future facilities of this factory in León, Indra Group’s Executive Chairman, Ángel Escribano, and the Group’s CEO, José Vicente de los Mozos, explained the multinational’s growth plans to the Secretary of State for Defence, Amparo Valcarce.

In addition to the new drone factory—planned to be built in the Villadangos del Páramo industrial area (León) and intended to create 200 new jobs—Indra plans to strengthen engineering capabilities in the region by hiring another 150 engineers.

In her speech, the Secretary of State for Defence, Amparo Valcarce, stated: "I would like to thank Indra for its commitment and strategic vision in this project to provide the innovative solutions that Spain’s security and defence require. But above all, I want to thank them for their confidence in León and to reiterate our commitment to modern, technologically advanced Armed Forces and to a defence industry with a vocation for international leadership."

Indra Group’s Executive Chairman, Ángel Escribano, stated that this “new drone production center in León, where advanced unmanned aerial vehicle systems will be manufactured, contributes to ensuring national technological sovereignty in this field and meeting the current needs of the Armed Forces.”

With an investment of nearly 12 million euros, Indra will concentrate in the new facilities its production capabilities for unmanned aerial vehicles, including the tactical TARSIS system and its VALERO multipurpose aerial vehicle weapon system, as well as the loitering munition from the new company created with EDGE for the manufacturing of defense systems within the framework of the European Defense Programs. The factory will include specific assembly lines by drone type.

The goal is to begin manufacturing and integrating Class 1 UAS weighing under 150 kg, both for defense and civilian applications, as well as serial production of munition-equipped drones starting in 2027.

Indra will collaborate with León Airport and with the Army’s Air Systems Acquisition Group (GROSA) to establish a center for testing and validation of new systems, including both drones and counter‑drone solutions.

With this initiative, Indra continues advancing its industrial response to the Special Modernization Programs (PEM) and strengthens its Indra Weapons & Ammunition division, focused on the development of unmanned vehicles, counter‑drone systems, precision‑guided systems, and directed‑energy systems. It also contributes to securing national technological sovereignty in the drone domain and positioning León and the local industry for international opportunities, with Europe—where UAS are identified as a strategic solution—being one of the main markets.

To reinforce its capabilities in this field, Indra Group acquired in 2025 the company Aertec Defence & Aerial Systems, incorporating its TARSIS family of tactical systems into Indra’s offering, and recently acquired the unmanned system (UAS) technologies of Wake Engineering.

New engineers to strengthen capabilities

In addition to creating the new drone factory, Indra plans to expand the engineering capabilities of its current center in León. The company’s objective is to strengthen its capabilities in key areas such as cyberdefense, simulation, command and control and intelligence (C2I), software development, communications, unmanned aerial systems (UAS), counter‑UAS systems, weapons and ammunition, and air traffic systems.