The Spanish company Flightech Systems has received certification for the first civilian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in Europe. This aircraft can be used to help put out forest fires or provide border surveillance, and at a lower cost than traditional systems.

This Spanish UAV has a six meter wingspan and weighs 80 kilos. It has a 500 kilometer radius of action, can reach speeds of 150 kilometers per hour, flies for 4.5 hours without refueling and can reach an altitude of 6,096 meters. Thanks to all of these qualities, this aircraft from Flightech Systems has received a certification from AESA, Spain’s State Agency for Air Safety.

This first drone to receive certification in Europe needs very little space in order to take off and land, and possesses a wide range of operating capabilities. It can be employed for civil uses in science, environmental studies or meteorology, as well as for research and security. It has a number of systems to record data that can be followed in real time by an earth tracking station.

As an example, in order to monitor forests a pilot could control the aircraft’s entire flight path from an earth tracking station, using a control panel with four monitors. Thus ground personnel could study the images and data sent back by the UAV in order to help prevent or extinguish forest fires.