Indra presents 17 disruptive projects from the NGWS/FCAS program driven by leading companies, universities, and research centers from Spain’s civil sector

Indra hosted the Indra NGWS Technology Marketplace, where 14 companies, universities, and research centers from across Spain’s civil sector presented 17 highly innovative projects they are advancing or have completed within the NGWS/FCAS program, which is developing a cutting-edge Future Combat Air System.

These projects include combat cloud initiatives led by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center–National Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS) and Gradiant; companies such as Fyla, AG Photonics, and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias; IDBotic; and Quside. Other projects focus on advanced sensor development, involving Sensia and the Polytechnic University of Madrid; Anteral and the Public University of Navarre (UPNA); the Carlos III University of Madrid and its Optoelectronics and Laser Technology Group (GOTL); Beamagine; and Gradiant. These projects feature technologies such as edge computing, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, photonics, quantum technologies, advanced cybersecurity techniques, the Internet of Things, and advanced communications.

As the national coordinator of the NGWS/FCAS program, Indra has facilitated the entry of all these entities into what is currently the most ambitious defense program underway in Europe.

During the event, these entities had the opportunity to showcase their work directly to the national and international bodies supervising the program — the Combined Project Team (CPT), the DGAM Program Office, and the Directorate General for Strategy and Innovation of the Defense Industry (DIGEID) of the Ministry of Defense — in a marketplace format where each had its own stand.

This demonstrates Indra’s leadership and ability to act as a catalyst for Spain’s entire business and innovation ecosystem, mobilizing it to strengthen the country’s position in major European defense programs.

The NGWS/FCAS initiative, driven by Germany, Spain, and France, is developing a futuristic system-of-systems, including a sixth-generation fighter jet escorted by several carriers or drones, all operating within a combat cloud. This system will incorporate technologies that must be at the forefront by 2040, requiring the identification of disruptive proposals today to accelerate their maturity and ensure their availability within 15 years.

For this reason, the NGWS/FCAS program has encouraged the participation of companies not traditionally involved in defense from its earliest phases — companies working on cutting-edge dual-use technologies that will be key in the future.

The Head of Indra’s Air Dominance Business Unit, Miguel García Moreno, opened the event that took place last wednesdy 25th of june by highlighting the “ultra-innovative nature of this program, which takes innovation one step further.”

García Moreno then introduced Jorge San José, Director of the NGWS/FCAS program at Indra, who emphasized the program’s “integrative nature, fostering the development of highly innovative companies across all regions of Spain, retaining talent and generating high-quality, highly skilled jobs.”

Following these remarks, Colonel Luis Villar, Director of the Combined Project Team for Spain; Colonel Francisco Javier Martín García-Almenta, Head of the Fixed-Wing Office in DGAM’s Subdirectorate General for Programs; Eduardo Aguiar, Head of the NGWS/FCAS Sensor Pillar at Indra; and Borja López, Chief Engineer of the Combat Cloud Pillar at Indra, participated in a panel discussion moderated by Olga González, Project Manager for NGWS/FCAS. They discussed the importance of innovation and the valuable contributions of the 14 entities involved in these 17 technological projects, highlighting the immense value of incorporating dual-use civil technologies into the defense sector.