LC-Ge · Kinematic Capability Profiles

Kinematic Capability Profile

# Kinematic Capability Profile

**LRRK Watch / Nation-state actor profile** — STIX 2.1 threat-actor fields applied to systems that sense, move, and act.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Collection cutoff | 13 February 2026 |
| Platform | Quiet Systems |
| Data label | Open-source intelligence // LRRK analytic product |
| Handling | Public-source material. Image rights require separate verification before publication. |
| Actor | Spain |
| Short name | ES |
| UN membership | Member |
| Profile depth | documented |

## Executive read

### BLUF

Madrid is pairing an in-service MQ-9 / NR.05 Predator Sense layer (now adding SOAR SIGINT) with a Spanish-built SIRTAP tactical line — Control Fabric at Getafe, Act still a potential not a fetched loadout.

### Key judgments

1. **[Assessment — High confidence]** El Español (13 February 2026), quoting the Air and Space Force, records the first NR.05 Predator flight with the L3Harris SOAR SIGINT pod on 8 February 2026 at Ala 23 / Talavera la Real; the retrofit covers four NR.05 airframes.
2. **[Assessment — High confidence]** The Ministry of Defence (2 January 2025) and Airbus (17 June 2025) document nine SIRTAP systems (three air vehicles and one GCS each; 27 air vehicles total) plus two simulators, assembled at Airbus Getafe.
3. **[Uncertainty]** First SIRTAP delivery is 2026 on the MoD page and 2027 on the Airbus prototype release — the in-service year is not reconciled here.

### Analytic labels

- **Fact** — verified reporting or primary record
- **Assessment** — analytic judgment
- **Inference** — reasoned but not directly observed
- **Uncertainty** — unresolved information gap

### Source grades

- **A1** — authoritative primary record / directly confirmed
- **B1–B2** — generally reliable and corroborated
- **C3** — useful but requires caution

## Identity

STIX 2.1 Identity + Threat Actor. Values from the open vocabularies only.

| STIX field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| name | Spain |
| aliases | España / Spanish Armed Forces / Ejército del Aire y del Espacio / Ejército de Tierra |
| identity_class | organization |
| threat_actor_types | nation-state |
| roles | sponsor, director |
| resource_level | nation-state |
| sophistication | advanced |
| primary_motivation | organizational-gain |
| secondary_motivations | ideology |
| goals | Sourced: tactical ISR via indigenous SIRTAP for Army and Air and Space Force; SIGINT on in-service Predator. Uncertainty: armed SIRTAP or armed MQ-9 IOC. |

## Intent and targeting

**[Fact]** MoD: SIRTAP is for advanced day/night ISR in demanding climates for the Army and the Air and Space Force — the first fully Spanish Class II/III military aeronautical system. **[Fact]** Air and Space Force (via El Español): NR.05 intelligence missions are jointly planned by Ala 23 and CINTAER (Torrejón) for IMINT now and ELINT/COMINT once SOAR integration finishes. **[Assessment]** Intent is national/tactical Sense and a sovereignty industrial path, not a sourced foreign strike campaign.

## Capability — Sense

**[Fact]** In-service NR.05: factory EO sensors for IMINT; Ala 23 crews operate EO and SAR; CINTAER PED; SOAR is an open-architecture SIGINT pod (ELINT and COMINT) to be operated remotely from Torrejón after validation flights. First flight with the pod validated aerodynamic compatibility, pod datalinks, and ground mission systems. **[Fact]** MoD SIRTAP figures: length 7.3 m, height almost 2.5 m, span 11.3 m, range over 2,000 km. **[Fact]** Airbus: endurance more than 20 hours; first-system delivery after 2026 flight tests and type certification (Airbus date: 2027).

## Capability — Move

**[Fact]** NR.05 operates from Talavera la Real (Ala 23). **[Fact]** SIRTAP prototypes move from Getafe to INTA CEUS (Huelva) for ground then flight test through 2026. **[Fact]** Nine systems / 27 air vehicles; first set plus a simulator on the MoD 2026 calendar; series production the following year through 2030. **[Assessment]** Move is runway tactical/MALE-adjacent, not a fetched USV force. **[Uncertainty]** Naval SIRTAP on Juan Carlos I is Airbus/Navantia exploration in secondary reporting that was not used as a system Fact.

## Capability — Act

**[Fact]** Airbus lists potential evolution toward a naval version or weapons integration; that is manufacturer language, not a Spanish loadout on the fetched MoD page. **[Uncertainty]** Armed SIRTAP and Hellfire/GBU integration on Spanish Reapers appear in trade press that was not fully retrieved and are unnamed as inventory here. Status: Sense fielded; Act not established.

## Inventory

| Domain | Status | Named systems (sourced) | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Air UAS | documented | NR.05 Predator / Predator B (MQ-9 class); SIRTAP | Four NR.05 in SOAR retrofit; SIRTAP on contract, not yet delivered |
| Surface USV | not established |  | Collection gap |
| Subsurface UUV / ROV | not established |  | Collection gap |
| C-UAS | not established |  | Collection gap |

## Industrial base and supply chain

**[Fact]** SIRTAP is designed and assembled at Airbus Defence and Space Getafe with a Spanish industrial-participation plan; Airbus calls the baseline ITAR-free. **[Fact]** SOAR is L3Harris; the air vehicle is General Atomics. **[Assessment]** Control Fabric is real on SIRTAP. Passport is mixed: indigenous tactical UAS plus US MALE/SIGINT.

## Observed employment

**[Fact]** NR.05 is in intelligence collection; SOAR first flight 8 February 2026 is integration, not a finished SIGINT IOC. **[Fact]** SIRTAP is in prototype/test; not in service on sources used. **[Uncertainty]** Searcher replacement language sits in secondary reporting that was not fetched as a primary inventory page.

## Relationships

- `attributed-to` — Ministry of Defence; Ejército del Aire y del Espacio (Ala 23, CINTAER); Ejército de Tierra (SIRTAP customer).
- `uses` — NR.05 Predator; SIRTAP (on contract).
- `related-to` — Airbus Defence and Space; General Atomics; L3Harris; INTA.

## LRRK turn-back

Moves **Sense** (NR.05 IMINT plus SOAR SIGINT), **Control Fabric / Passport** (Getafe SIRTAP), and **Lab** (2026 CEUS campaign). **Act** is potential only. No Campaign object.

## Forward indicators

- Raise: first SIRTAP handover; SOAR ELINT/COMINT validation complete; a fetched armed-Reaper or armed-SIRTAP contract page.
- Lower: SIRTAP first delivery slip past both the 2026 MoD and 2027 Airbus marks.

## Sources

1. El Español, 13 February 2026, https://www.elespanol.com/observatorio-defensa/20260213/ejercito-aire-avanza-capacidad-inteligencia-senales-primer-vuelo-dron-predator-pod-soar/1003744127429_0.html — B1–B2
2. Ministerio de Defensa, 2 January 2025, https://www.defensa.gob.es/comun/slider/2025/01/250102-dron-sirtap.html — A1
3. Airbus, 17 June 2025, https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2025-06-first-airbus-sirtap-prototype-ready-to-start-ground-tests — A1
4. United Nations, Member States list, https://www.un.org/en/about-us/member-states — A1

> **Collection integrity.** Armed-Reaper and armed-SIRTAP stories (ABC, La Razón) were not fetched and are not inventoried. Naval SIRTAP remains exploration. USV/UUV/C-UAS are gaps. Delivery-year split (2026 vs 2027) is recorded, not resolved. `not established` is not safety.

*LRRK — security assurance for systems that sense, move, and act.*

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