The General Department of Armament and Material (DGAM) of the Spanish Ministry of Defence launched the Rapaz Project with the aim of evaluating Class I RPAS systems (maximum take-off weight less than 150 kg) developed by the domestic industry to discover their real capabilities in ISR missions and with a view to possibly acquiring a system in the future.
This project brings users into contact with manufacturers so that they can get requirements first-hand and adapt the platforms to the real needs of the operating units.
In this context, and after several campaigns, in 2017 the DGAM decided to purchase the Atlantic and the Toucan for commissioning in the following units:
- Grupo de Artillería de Información y Localización (GAIL) II/63 of the Army, in León.
- “San Gregorio” Training Centre, in Zaragoza.
- Grupo de Escuelas de Matacán (GRUEMA) of the Air Force, in Salamanca. On the other hand, important technical milestones were recorded during the Rapaz Project campaigns, among which the following stand out:
- The Atlantic system reached the 126 km range in C2 (command and control) and video in real time.
- The Atlantic system reached an altitude of 12,000 feet (AMSL).
- The Toucan system reached an altitude of 8,000 feet (AMSL).
