CREWLESS aircraft will be used by the Guardia Civil to combat organised crime, including human-trafficking, illegal immigration and drug-smuggling.
Known as the 'Closeye' project, the state-of-the-art vigilance system will use aeroplanes traditionally employed by the USA Armed Forces in their fight against fundamentalist terrorism and in war zones.
Satellites and aerostats will also form part of the Guardia Civil's new surveillance plans to ensure they do not miss a trick along Spain's coasts and in its ports.
The 'Closeye' project will cost a total of 12.25 million euros, of which the European Union will provide 9.2 million.
Installation will involve three phases over a 38-month period, which is hoped will take no longer than 18 months to begin, meaning that by early 2017 the crewless airlines and other elements will be up and running.
Italy and Portugal will be joint-venture countries, and a recent meeting involved the Guardia Civil, the Coastguard, the Portuguese Guardia Nacional Republicana, the Italian Marina Militare, the Italian Space Agency, the European Satellite Centre, the European Commission, the consultancy firm ISDEFE, the Spanish ministries of Defence, Public Works, Tax, Agriculture and Foreign Affairs, the Secretary of State for Security, Interior Consultants accredited in Spain, and the European border organisation Frontex.
