FEINDEF 2025: Indra unveils Valero multi-purpose aerial weapon system

Spanish defence technology company Indra unveiled a mock-up of its new Valero Multi-Purpose Aerial Vehicle Weapon System (Sistema de Armas Vehículo Aéreo Multipropósito) at the FEINDEF defence exhibition, held in Madrid from 12 to 14 May.

The turbojet-powered weapon appears as a cruise missile, with a rectangular fuselage and slim wings that deploy from the air vehicle’s body, but an Indra official associated with the programme was keen to point out that the Valero would have multiple configurations, implying that it could operate with payloads such as jamming or other electronic warfare systems as an alternative or in addition to a warhead.

He added that the first iteration of the Valero will have an “active dynamic decoy” capability with a warhead, allowing the Valero to confuse hostile air defence systems and thus protect manned strike aircraft before finding a target, but that other versions will follow.

While the Valero has an application as part of the Franco-German-Spanish sixth-generation Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme, the Indra official said the system will also be integrated onto the Spanish Air and Space Force’s Eurofighter Typhoon and Boeing F/A-18 Hornet fighters. The system has also been designed to fit within the internal weapon bay of a Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

In addition, the Valero is intended to be surface launched, either by land forces using the system’s Configurable Surface Launcher (Lanzador de Superficie Configurable – LSC), which in its current configuration has four launch cells, or from naval vessels, through the addition of a booster.

In addition to the Valero multi-purpose air vehicle (Vehículo Aéreo Multipropósito – VAM) and launcher, a third element of the whole system is a planning and control system (Elemento de Planificación y Control – EPC).

The high-subsonic Valero has a minimum speed of 420 kts (778 km/h) at low altitude and a minimum speed of Mach 0.8 (988 km/h) at high altitude, the official noted.

Asked by ESD what stage the development of the Valero has reached, the Indra official said it would begin flight trials in the summer of 2025 and is intended to operational no later than 2029.

The initial flight trials are likely to be made using a ground launcher.