VANTUS AeroDesign Team is crowned champion at the XtraChallenge 2025

VANTUS AeroDesign Team, The aeromodelling team of the University of Seville has closed its third season with the greatest success in its history the first national place in the XtraChallenge 2025 thanks to its prototype Orange blossomin a competition that brought together leading universities from Spain, France, and Germany. Furthermore, their second prototype, Hispalis, obtained a commendable sixth place, along with a special mention for its technical and documentary excellence.

Held from July 8th to 11th in Valencia, XtraChallenge 2025 was the most technologically advanced and highest-quality edition to date. Fourteen European university teams and four model aircraft clubs participated, all with the common goal of designing, building, and flying an aircraft capable of transporting the maximum amount of liquid cargo possible, efficiently and safely.

From the start of the competition, Orange blossom It stood out for its performance. With a high-wing configuration, conventional tail, and a payload capacity of up to 1100 milliliters of water, it achieved the highest score in the static tests (230 out of 250 points) and maintained its lead in all phases, finishing with 779 points, which crowned him as overall champion in the university categoryThis victory reinforces VANTUS' position as a benchmark in the national aeromodelling scene.

Meanwhile, the team's second plane, HispalisIt was conceived as a technical development and learning platform. With a V-tail configuration, low-wing dihedral, and retractable landing gear, its design incorporated additional challenges to broaden the team's knowledge for future competitions. Its excellent technical documentation earned it a distinction in the category of Best Technical Report, and his flight results secured him a sixth place with 709 points, just 70 points behind the champion.

This double success is the result of a continuous process of innovation, in which VANTUS has incorporated advanced technologies in composite materials, structural design, and electronic integration. All of this has been made possible thanks to the support of Higher Technical School of Engineering of the University of Sevillewhose support has been key for the team to place Andalusia and Spain on the European map of aeronautical innovation.

Paula Terrón González, the team's director, has stated:

“Three years ago, we began this adventure with a group of students who wanted to take knowledge beyond the classroom. Today, seeing ourselves as Spanish Champions and technical leaders is an immense reward for the effort, dedication, and passion of all its members. This project, born from pure motivation, has shown that the university can also soar to great heights.”.

With these achievements, VANTUS AeroDesign Team not only concludes a successful season, but also enters a new phase of consolidation. The team is already preparing for its participation in the Air Cargo Challenge 2026In addition to embarking on new lines of research that will continue to place the University of Seville at the forefront of European university aeronautics.