The new system is designed for precision strikes as well as large-scale saturation attacks
Spanish defense manufacturer Indra has unveiled a new low-cost cruise missile designed to engage targets more than 300 kilometers away, equivalent to approximately 186 miles.
The system, known as Squall, was displayed publicly for the first time at the Unvex international drone exhibition in Spain on September 16.
A weapon for both targeted strikes and mass attacks
Indra has not disclosed the missile’s price, but has presented Squall as a low-cost system capable of supporting a broad range of missions.
The missile could be used for:
- precision strikes involving a limited number of weapons;
- coordinated attacks involving the simultaneous launch of multiple missiles;
- operations designed to overload and penetrate an adversary’s air-defense network.
This flexibility is intended to provide armed forces with a more affordable alternative to traditional cruise missiles, whose high cost can restrict their use in conflicts characterized by rapid ammunition consumption.
Designed for land and naval platforms
Squall is designed to be integrated onto both land-based and naval platforms.
The missile can fly at low altitude, reducing the likelihood of detection by hostile radar systems. Depending on its configuration, it may also be equipped with guidance and navigation systems protected against jamming and spoofing, in which an adversary attempts to manipulate or falsify positioning signals.
Spain has no publicly known requirement for Squall
The Spanish Armed Forces have not publicly announced a formal requirement for a missile with these characteristics.
Nevertheless, international interest in smaller and less expensive strike weapons is growing. Recent conflicts have highlighted the limitations of relying exclusively on costly munitions, particularly when they are used against threats that are significantly cheaper to produce and deploy.
Drone and missile attrition warfare has demonstrated that the sustained use of high-value systems against low-cost weapons can become economically and operationally unsustainable.
Indra also introduces the Drizzle effector drone
At the same exhibition, the Spanish company also presented Drizzle, an effector drone designed to neutralize other drones and attack light targets.
Drizzle is intended to engage targets at distances of up to 130 kilometers, or approximately 80 miles. The unveiling of the system alongside Squall underscores the growing emphasis on autonomous weapons and affordable munitions that can be deployed in large numbers on the battlefield.
