The Australian Leaders visit Indra to learn about its global technological leadership

The company presented its advances in defense, smart mobility and digital transformation, with special attention to its projects in Australia | View the Program Summary in PDF

Indra is one of the world’s leading technology and consulting companies, specialized in defense, air traffic management, digital transformation, and solutions for strategic sectors. The Australian Leaders delegation visited the company’s headquarters, where they had the opportunity to learn more about this major technological corporation. They were accompanied by Carmen Pérez, Director of Communication and International Relations; María Ángeles Pérez Espinosa, Head of Public Affairs; Elsa Jiménez Blanco, Communications Officer; Rodrigo Castiñeira, Director of Innovation for Mobility; and Gabriel Moyano, Director of the International Department.

The meeting began with an introduction by Carmen Pérez, who gave a brief overview of the company—one of the world’s top technology and defense firms. Indra employs nearly 60,000 people and operates in 49 countries, with commercial activities in over 140. The multinational is structured around two major areas: technology and defense, through Indra Sistemas, and digital transformation, through Minsait. The company invests approximately 8% of its annual revenue in R&D, with a constant focus on innovation in fields such as defense, mobility, space, digitalization, and cybersecurity.

Next, Gabriel Moyano, Director of the International Department, explained that Indra is a key supplier for NATO and the Spanish Armed Forces, developing technology across the five military domains: land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace. In addition to participating in flagship programs such as Spain’s F-110 frigate and the Eurofighter Typhoon, he highlighted the company’s leadership in space radar systems, capable of detecting objects the size of a basketball in orbit 2,000 kilometers away.

Indra is also a global leader in air traffic management, with its systems handling between 25% and 30% of worldwide air traffic. As Moyano noted, the company offers cutting-edge solutions such as digital and remote control towers, which make it possible to manage airports without a physical tower using advanced cameras, sensors, and communications systems—like those implemented at Budapest Airport and in a project in Norway where up to 15 aerodromes are managed from a single center.

Through its Minsait division, Indra is also a global leader in the digitalization of electoral processes, ensuring transparency, auditability, and speed in vote counting. In the civil sector, Indra develops smart mobility and transport solutions, managing highways, railways, tunnels, and toll systems worldwide.

In Australia, Indra has been present since 2007 and has offices in Sydney and Brisbane. It has supplied nine secondary surveillance radars for air traffic control and ILS (Instrument Landing System) equipment installed in Australian airports through Airservices Australia. This technology is used by around 60% of the world’s airports, an area where Australia is a global leader.

In the defense sector, Indra has implemented its Weapons Technical Intelligence (WTI) system in Australia, designed to detect explosive devices, as well as ILS systems for the Air Force, among other projects.

In the mobility sector, Indra has a strong presence in Sydney’s train network, providing camera and radio systems; in Queensland, where it delivers traffic management solutions for highways and tunnels; and in Brisbane, where it operates the metro’s operational support system—a project of special pride as part of the city’s preparations for hosting the 2032 Olympic Games.

Rodrigo Castiñeira, Director of Innovation for Mobility, described the areas covered by his business unit, which include all solutions related to ground transportation and mobility management. He noted that Indra’s systems are deployed in more than 50 countries, with over 150 active projects worldwide. In this segment, the company manages 20,000 kilometers of roads, monitors more than 15,000 buses in real time, and controls 30,000 kilometers of railway networks. All of these critical infrastructures, he emphasized, benefit from Indra’s commitment to security, efficiency, and sustainability.

Castiñeira also presented one of Indra’s most innovative areas: the Connected Vehicle Platform. Although autonomous vehicles are still in early stages of development, Indra is already collaborating with car manufacturers to integrate vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X) communication. Instead of drivers receiving alerts via mobile apps, vehicles themselves will automatically receive messages about accidents, construction zones, or traffic conditions.

The company is also developing smart tolling systems, where vehicle sensors detect the number of passengers and adjust toll fees accordingly. Indra is testing these technologies in North Carolina and Florida (USA), as well as in Europe, where around two million connected vehicles share real-time data. A key example is the Madrid M-30 project, where a single antenna collects traffic data from ten European car models that continuously transmit information—creating a representative sample to infer traffic patterns and incidents in real time.

For these projects, Indra collaborates with the Australian company Cohda Wireless, a strategic partner specializing in V2X communications. This partnership enhances system interoperability and strengthens Indra’s presence in advanced global mobility initiatives.

Following the presentations, the Australian Leaders delegation visited several of Indra’s key facilities to see its technologies in action. They observed a simulator of the Digital Tower system for airports, witnessing Budapest Airport’s operations in real time, and toured the company’s radar manufacturing plant, where they viewed next-generation civil and military radar models in various stages of assembly.