With the focus on the talent of the people who make it possible for GDELS Santa Bárbara Sistemas (GDELS-SBS) to be the leading systemist and integrator of customized military mobility solutions, the company closed its attendance at FEINDEF 25.

Escorted by the two world premieres of artillery presented at the fair, the Piranha 10x10 and the revolutionary Nemesis, the young talent of GDLES Santa Bárbara shared their experience of competence and professional development that they have undergone from their internships to their incorporation into the group. Fidel Ayesta, Human Resources Director of GDELS-SBS highlighted the commitment to offer learning and development opportunities to students through internships and recent graduates for new recruits.

To this end, GDELS-SBS has signed more than twenty collaboration agreements with different universities and business schools throughout Spain. To promote talent GDELS-SBS has designed an employment program that will enable it to identify and develop a solid pool of talent for the present and future challenges of society, guaranteeing the sustainability, competitiveness and growth of the business.

In addition to cross-functional and collaborative training initiatives, the company promotes multidisciplinary work with international programs. In 2024, approximately fifty transfers were made between different departments. This internal mobility offers employees opportunities for development and growth, expanding their technical competencies and skills as they navigate new processes, tools, and ways of working, contributing to talent motivation and retention.

"Working in different areas fosters decision making as it allows them to know how they interconnect the functions and objectives of the organisation. It boosts the development of adaptability, communication and resilience and strengthens our Society by making it more agile, collaborative and prepared to face new challenges," said Fidel Ayesta. For Juan Escriña, CEO of Santa Barbara Sistemas, this edition of FENIDEF has allowed us to showcase the muscle of the Spanish defence industry and its entire value chain that elevates it to the first level and allows, as in our case, to rearm our army and Europe with European technology manufactured in Spain.

Industry Day

In fact, the GDLS-SBS stand paid tribute to all its collaborators on the second day of Feindef, celebrating Industry Day to highlight the role of local suppliers in the company's projects.

The celebration brought together more than 200 of the 900 Spanish suppliers involved in the development of major projects by GDELS Santa Bárbara Sistemas. These suppliers have made it possible for the factories in Trubia (Asturias) and Seville, along with the technology center in Madrid, to complete pioneering projects such as the "Némesis," a self-propelled tracked howitzer based on its Ascod platform, which aims to meet the needs of the Spanish Army, a force seeking to replace its M-109 units, operational for more than half a century; or the Piraña 10x10, with a maximum weight of 40 tons, which increases the payload capacity to 17 tons.

Teresa Ruiz, Senior Supply Chain Manager at General Dynamics European Land Systems Santa Barbara Systems, emphasized that GDELS is, in essence, a designer and integrator of armored vehicles, amphibious platforms, and artillery systems with more than 4,500 suppliers throughout the European Union, 900 of them Spanish.

For Ruiz, GDELS Santa Bárbara's collaborative model makes its suppliers an essential part of developing the most innovative projects. Therefore, they are committed to supporting them in their training and certification to achieve the highest quality standards, which define the operational capabilities of the company's vehicles.

"Nemesis" or Total Challenge: Self-Propelled Artillery Returns

Without a doubt, one of the stars of Feindef25 was the Nemesis, presented for the world premiere in Madrid during the Spanish International Defense and Security Fair (FEINDEF), the flagship of its range of self-propelled artillery, both wheeled and tracked.

Numerous international delegations have expressed interest in learning about the new platform and the other military mobility solutions offered by the company, with up to 10 vehicles spread across various pavilions. These vehicles range from Ukraine to Portugal, including the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, and Latvia, among others.

Both the tracked vehicle, called Nemesis, and the wheeled vehicle, Piranha AAC, have been developed exclusively in Europe and with European patents and technology. They will be manufactured entirely in the group's facilities throughout Europe, including the Santa Bárbara Sistemas centers in Trubia (Asturias) and Alcalá de Guadaira (Seville).

The "Nemesis" is a variant of the ASCOD platform and is the first tracked self-propelled howitzer (ATP) system that can be fully operated remotely. It is one of the technological developments that could replace the American M-109s, of which the Spanish Army has approximately 90 units.

The presentation of this vehicle, unique in the world, is part of GDELS-SBS's objective of offering immediate supply capabilities for armored vehicles, i.e., technologies that can make them available as quickly as possible in an environment where the European Union itself is warning of the need to incorporate them.