UAV Navigation-Grupo Oesía, a division of Grupo Oesía, has signed a strategic collaboration agreement with Destinus, for the joint development, production, and marketing of a long-range defense system.
The initial phase of the agreement will focus on RUTA, a surface-to-surface long-range missile and the first Low-Cost Missile (LCM) drone developed by Destinus. It is also classified as a loitering munition designed for highly contested scenarios.
The system incorporates an advanced Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) system developed by UAV Navigation-Grupo Oesía. This component has been validated in real-world combat conditions, such as environments where GNSS is denied or under jamming and spoofing attacks.
The GNC system, based on proprietary technology and designed and manufactured in Spain, enables autonomous takeoff, precise low‑altitude flight, coordinated swarm operations and accurate terminal engagements even in GNSS‑denied, contested environments. These robust capabilities have been validated in real‑world combat conditions.
RUTA as a whole offers autonomous flight capabilities, target-referenced navigation, terminal optical guidance, and the ability to perform coordinated swarm operations for complex synchronized attacks to saturate or deceive defense systems. The platform flies at a cruising speed of Mach 0.8, has a range of up to 500 km, and a terminal impact accuracy of 15 square meters (CEP).
The system, deployed in real-world scenarios, demonstrates high operational value due to its precision, range, tactical flexibility, and ability to integrate with other forces. It reduces risks to troops, improves response time to emerging threats, and offers strong cost-effectiveness and production efficiency.
Furnells, the president and CEO of Grupo Oesía stated that this project “demonstrates the advanced technology of UAV Navigation-Grupo Oesía, working with a European leader like DESTINUS in the field of dual-use and multipurpose drones. It represents a further step in our already solid relationship with Destinus and positions us as a Tier 1 of a leading system provider in the industry.”
He added it “represents a step toward greater strategic autonomy and a more robust national defense industry, as it will make it possible to provide our Ministry of Defense and the Army with a fully proven operational capability and national sovereignty at the service of European strategic autonomy.”
This partnership, which has the support of the Ministry of Defense within the framework of cooperation mechanisms with NATO, is intended to expand and adapt the system’s capabilities to meet the needs of the Spanish Armed Forces, while also expanding into international markets.
This collaboration also underscores both companies’ commitment to technological sovereignty and to involving Spanish industry in high-tech defense programs. It significantly increases the role of Spanish companies in developing key components and subsystems, helping to consolidate a national technological ecosystem with international reach.
Mikhail Kokorich, founder of Destinus, commented, “such a partnership makes it possible to quickly deliver advanced solutions that respond to the needs identified in recent military conflicts. Defense industries must learn to adapt quickly to ensure Europe’s security amid growing threats.”
Placido Marquez, CEO of Destinus Spain, added, “This collaboration with the Grupo Oesía represents a perfect fit between our vertical integration strategy and collaboration with partners of international scope to offer high-level airborne systems. It is a model that we could extend to other players.”
Regarding RUTA, Marquez also said, “This system is proving to be an outstanding piece of engineering for European defense, and we hope that its future developments can be aligned with the needs of Spanish defense.”
