Both systems, based on drones, tablet app and web platform for PAPI, ILS and VOR inspections, will be operated by the Cartographic and Photographic Center of the Air and Space Force (CECAF).
Last November 10th, 2022, CANARD Drones delivered to the Spanish Air and Space Force, at Getafe Air Base, two drone-based systems for visual inspections (mainly Precision Approach Path Indicator - PAPI) and radio aids (Instrument Landing System - ILS / Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range - VOR). Both solutions will be operated by the Centro Cartográfico y Fotográfico del Ejército del Aire y del Espacio (CECAF), a unit in charge of in-flight inspection with aircraft at air bases and military airfields in Spain.
"We are very proud to be able to work, side by side, with the Air and Space Force through CECAF, implementing our smart solutions for runway inspections, in this case, of our country's military bases. Hopefully this is the first step of many to achieve a more efficient airport inspection of our air forces, in terms of time and costs, and at the same time sustainable", said Juan Diaz, CTO of CANARD Drones.
It should be recalled that CANARD Drones' solution for the calibration and commissioning of PAPI systems completely replaces traditional flight inspections with aircraft. "With the drone and the use of the tablet and web platform, the operation is performed in a few minutes and can be carried out during the day or night, allowing for more flexible scheduling," Diaz pointed out.
Regarding ILS radio aids, the company's technology manager explained that "by flying farther away from the antennas and higher, ground inspections with the CANARD Drones solution have a higher correlation with flight verifications than portable or vehicle-mounted ground inspection methods."
For its part, and similar to ILS, the system developed by CANARD Drones enables enhanced CVOR / DVOR ground inspections. "By performing autonomous and radial orbits, the system can obtain accurate VOR measurements farther and higher than other ground-based methods," Diaz emphasized.
Also, the CANARD Drones team has provided the necessary training to CECAF personnel in charge of operating the drones and the inspection systems based on tablet app and web platform.
Inspection time and cost savings
The Spanish Air Force has highlighted the advantages that the system developed by CANARD Drones brings to the work of CECAF: "With the incorporation of these new systems to CECAF inventory there is a great advance in terms of safety, protection of crews and aircraft from inspection maneuvers, efficiency in average inspection times and savings in inspection time and costs of the required flight hours.
Renewal in the DGAM registry
CANARD Drones has announced the renewal, one more year, of its certification as a company registered in the Register of Companies of the General Directorate of Armament and Material (DGAM) of the Ministry of Defense of the Government of Spain.
The purpose of this registry is to have information available to the Ministry of Defense that allows them to know the industrial, technological and economic-financial capacity of the registered companies to facilitate decision-making in its strategic planning related to the national defense industry.
Likewise, this registration allows CANARD Drones to participate in each international tender for installation or supply, promoted within NATO through ICB (International Competitive Bidding), as well as to establish, with a NATO Agency, a BOA (Basic Ordering Agreement) for the supply of commercial products COTS (Commercial-Off-The-Shelf).
