The purpose of the CEUS Project is to build a large infrastructure to support the development of unmanned aerial platforms. It is located in Huelva, close to the facilities of the Arenosillo Experimentation Centre (CEDEA), which belongs to the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA).
CEUS will have unique facilities: a 2 km long runway, technical support facilities and an available aerial test area of 1 million hectares.
The location of the project has major advantages:
- A no-fly zone of 1 million hectares that facilitates UAV testing with sufficient margins.Climatología favorable la mayor parte del año.
- Favourable weather most of the year.
- Presence of an aeronautical ecosystem in Andalusia that is one of its potential clients.
- Optronic and radar systems together with all the communication and data processing tools at the current INTA facilities, which are used to monitor UAV flights and eventually organise their data collection.
- INTA's vast experience in managing UAV tests and trials. CEDEA has a fleet of systems that is operated and maintained by the centre's technicians and is also a Development and Qualification Centre for small and medium-sized aerial platforms for major European manufacturers.
Its facilities will be especially useful for the operation of large UAVs that can take advantage of the 2 km long runway and a flight area such as the one described. They can also serve as a basis for current and future INTA aerial research platforms. Many of the aerial platforms that require testing are expected to have remote sensing sensors, so the centre will be useful to the scientific community in the field of Earth Sciences: agriculture, geology, atmosphere, inland waters, marine environment, environment, etc.
Execution and results
The facilities are currently under construction.