Indra and CODALTEC to develop the first air defense system in Colombia, fully manufactured in Latin America

The Corporación de Alta Tecnología para la Defensa (High-Tech Defense Corporation - CODALTEC) of Colombia and Indra, the technology and consulting company, will embark on the development of a cutting-edge air defense system that will meet the Colombian requirements and potentially those of other countries in the region. It is the first system with these characteristics developed in Latin America, as a result of the success of the collaboration between Indra and CODALTEC.

Both companies have worked hand-in-hand since they signed the first cooperation and technology transfer agreement in 2014. This agreement ended last year with a significant achievement after CODALTEC delivered an advanced high-mobility tactical radar, TADER (Tactical Air Defense Radar) to the Colombian Air Force, which had been specially designed to detect aircraft flying at a low altitude.

In addition, this is the first military air surveillance radar that has been fully manufactured in Colombia and which will be marketed by CODALTEC in the region.

After this significant achievement, the corporation has chosen Indra again as the best possible partner to take the next step; to become the first Latin American company with the capacity to lead the integration of an air defense system.

The project represents a qualitative leap that will contribute to further accelerate the increase of the capacities of the Colombian defense industry, along with all other initiatives of the Grupo Social y Empresarial de la Defensa (Social and Business Group for Defense - GSED), which is clearly the benchmark in the region, and which will strengthen the sovereignty and technological autonomy of the country.

Therefore, CODALTEC will become a member of the exclusive circle of companies with the capacity to market air defense systems, which require a high degree of knowledge and specialization for their development.

Colombian technology to protect the air space

To address this challenge, Indra and CODALTEC have extended their collaboration to the development of Command and Control systems, the technology field in which Indra is a global leader. This system will receive the data provided by different sensors and merge it to present a comprehensive and integrated vision of the real scenario for military officers. Therefore, the system will be capable of immediately detecting any risk and deploying the necessary actions to neutralize it.

The TADER radar will be a key element of the sensor network in the future CODALTEC air defense system. In addition, the system will be fully interoperable with any other type of subsystem, so it can incorporate new capabilities as they appear in the future or integrate the equipment used by the Armed Forces of other countries.

This scalability and flexibility will be a key element for the commercial success of the solution, since it will be adapted to the specific needs of each customer. CODALTEC may deliver a system adapted to each need, either to protect a given area or as a shield for the air space of an entire country.

Indra, 2,000 professionals in Colombia

To achieve these objectives, the Corporation will receive Indra's support, a leading company in the global Defense market. Currently, Indra's Radars and systems protect the Southwest flank of Europe, under the command of the Atlantic Alliance (NATO). The excellent quality and high capabilities of its radars have also led Indra to become the main provider of radars to the NATO. Its systems protect the sky in countries across the five continents.

The company is also working on the development of a space surveillance system that can detect uncontrolled objects orbiting in space. This system will feature one of the most powerful radars in Europe: it will detect objects at a distance of 2,000 km from Earth.

In the civilian sphere, Indra is also one of the leading global providers of air traffic management systems. It is a leader in this field in Latin America and has upgraded the main control centers and air traffic radars in Colombia.

Indra has been operating in Colombia for over 20 years and is one of the three leading technology companies in the country. With more than 2,000 professionals and offices in Bogota, Barranquilla and Medellin, as well as a Cloud Excellence Center in Bucaramanga and two Software Production Labs in Bogota and Pereira, which act as technology hubs to drive emerging projects and trailblazing architectures that are subsequently exported to the rest of Latin America. In addition, the company has a CyberSecurity Operations Center (i-CSOC) in Bogota.

Indra is involved in some of the key innovative projects that are set to drive Colombia's economic and technological development, in sectors such as Infrastructure, Public Administrations, Energy and Smart Cities. Recently, it has deployed cutting-edge technology for managing the Parques del Rio tunnel in Medellin and the Renacer tunnel in Coviandes, the fourth longest in Latin America. Projects such as these have firmly established Indra as one of the leading companies in Colombia and the region in the Transport and Traffic sector. Other such projects include a solution deployed on the two-lane Bogota-Villavicencio highway; a comprehensive mobility solution for Medellin, encompassing the Metro subway system, Metro Cable, Metro Bus and Ayacucho streetcar; and the deployment of toll systems in Cundinamarca, Los Llanos and the Autopistas del Café.

In the Public Administrations and Smart Cities sector, Indra's initiatives include development of an advanced e-Government platform in Tunja, as well as its involvement in organizing the country's recent presidential elections, among others.

About Indra

Indra is one of the world's top technology and consulting companies and a technology partner for the key operations of its clients’ businesses worldwide. It is a leading worldwide provider of proprietary solutions in niche areas in the Transport and Defense Markets and the absolute leader in IT in Spain and Latin America. It offers a comprehensive range of proprietary solutions and cutting edge services with a high added value in technology based on a unique culture of reliability, flexibility and adaptability to the needs of its customers. Indra is a world leader in the development of end-to-end technology solutions in fields such as Defense and Security, Transport and Traffic, Energy and Industry, Telecommunications and Media, Financial Services, Electoral Processes, and Public Administrations and Healthcare. Minsait is Indra’s digital transformation business unit. In 2017 Indra posted a revenue of €3,011m, employed 40,000 professionals, and had a local presence in 46 countries plus sales operations in more than 140 countries.

About CODALTEC

The Corporación de Alta Tecnología para la Defensa (High-Tech Defense Corporation - CODALTEC) was created to cater to the needs of the Colombian Defense Sector and promote the development of capacities in the technology area, with the purpose of developing their own solutions, not only for providing support to the operational environment of the Public Forces, but also for the progress of the industry.

CODALTEC was created in partnership with the Ministry of Defense, the Government of Meta and the City Council of Villavicencio as a non-profit entity that promotes sector initiatives that can allow the country to become self-sufficient in technological terms.  In addition, the Corporation works with the private-sector companies that make up the Industrial Defense Base, taking advantage of their capacities and integrating them in the process, allowing them to meet the technological requirements of the Public Forces and of the industry in General.

Currently, CODALTEC is responsible for the Modeling - Simulation, Sensors and Technology management areas. Some of its outstanding solutions, in terms of design and development with 100% national labor, include the unmanned remotely operated aircraft simulators for the Scan Eagle and Raven models, of Caravan aircraft, of the 4X4 Pegaso armored vehicle of the Shooting Range Simulator delivered to the National Police. In addition, it has successfully completed the transfer of technology and knowledge of the SINDER and TADER radar systems in Spain, today at the service of the Colombian Military Forces. Likewise, it has completed the development and implementation of SALUD.SIS, the Vertical Health information system for the Military Forces of the country.

Additionally, CODALTEC provides the tools required for the execution of Science and Technology projects in their different phases, such as: planning, structuring, development and fine-tuning of each project, including marketing of the project.

It is for these reasons that CODALTEC is Colombia's leading tech startup, which has partnered with the Public Forces to generate innovation and increasing the technological competitiveness of the Defense Sector through knowledge management.