Indra launches the laboratory for the mission systems of the armoured vehicles of the future
Indra is the company that has developed the Maestre mission system which will be integrated in the 8x8 Dragon wheeled armoured vehicles and in the Spanish Army's Chain Support Vehicles (VAC). The company, a leader in Europe in the development of these systems, is now setting up an advanced laboratory that replicates the vehicle and an emulated operating environment to work on the mission systems that will be fitted to the next-generation armoured vehicles.
The new laboratory will facilitate not only the development and evolution of the software of these systems, but also training, maintenance 4.0 and tests to study how the vehicle will behave in different configurations, the incorporation of new sensors and the analysis of interoperability with other systems. It has working positions that facilitate the operation of the mission system in the same way as would be done from the positions of driver, vehicle commander, gunner and embarked platoon of a vehicle, positions that have been designed to be installed in transportable containers or shelters, so that they can be deployed in those units that the Army determines.
The company has already shown these installations to the Spanish Army authorities, among them the visit of Lieutenant General Fernando Miguel García y García de las Hijas, head of the Spanish Army's Logistic Support Command, together with other army officers and other officers from the DGAM's programme sub-directorate.
Indra's investment in this laboratory will facilitate the constant updating of the 8x8 Dragon and VAC Maestre system throughout its life cycle. It also provides a familiarisation environment with the system and its operation, prior to training on the simulators and the vehicles themselves.
Indra's Head of Land Mission Systems, Aitor Vigara Zaera, affirms that "with this laboratory and the work we have carried out in the last few years together with the Ministry of Defence, we are at the forefront of the world in the digitalisation of military vehicles".
Maestre, a tailor-made system for the Army
Indra's Maestre system controls the weapons, warning, self-protection, situational awareness, communications, navigation, battlefield management system (BMS) and, in general, all the subsystems carried by the 8x8 and the Chain Support Vehicle (CSV). It is the brain that processes all the information gathered and presents it in an integrated way to the crew members so that they can make decisions quickly and react to any situation. It is the key element for the safety, survivability, fire effectiveness and collaborative combat capability of the vehicles.
The Spanish Army, in collaboration with Indra, has defined and developed Maestre to cover the needs of the General Staff in the VCR 8X8 Dragon and the VAC, placing Spain at the forefront. The participation of the Spanish Army in its development has been key to differentiate it and to ensure that Maestre is 100% designed by and for the operational needs of the Spanish Army.
The 8x8 mission system is one of the key pieces for the digitalisation of the Spanish Army, which will facilitate the incorporation of land platforms in the future Digital Combat Brigade and its integration in the combat cloud scenarios and with the Future Logistics Base of the Spanish Army (BLET).
Indra is not only implementing this technology in the new generation of Spanish armoured vehicles, but has also taken a central role in European R&D projects such as Famous I and II, Commands and Marte, in which it is working on the next generation of this type of systems.
The company has named its mission system Maestre after the soldiers who were part of the old Spanish Tercios de Dragones in the late 17th century, which would eventually become today's mechanised Cavalry and Infantry units that are using the 8x8 and Chain Support Vehicles. These Tercios were commanded by the Maestre de Campo.
