On June 8 the new European Tactical Airlift Centre (ETAC) will be officially opened by Head of the EDA, High Representative and Vice-President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini and Minister of Defence of Spain Dolores de Cospedal. ETAC represents one of the largest transfers of a project, created and developed by the EDA, to one of its Member States on a permanent basis.
Zaragoza will officially become the home of the European Air Transport Fleet (EAFT) Programme on June 8th in a ceremony marking the transfer of this project from the EDA to Spain. Created in 2011 by EDA, and signed by 20 participating nations, the EATF partnership aims to increase the EU’s airlift capabilities by addressing shortages and increasing interoperability. The establishment of a permanent multinational airlift training centre (ETAC) marks a major step forward in European defence collaboration in the critical capability domain of tactical airlift.
An EDA first: Joint Deployment of EAATTC 17-3 and 3D Printing Lab
The third European Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Course for 2017 (EAATTC 17-3), hosted by the Spanish Airforce at Zaragoza airbase will run from 28 May to 9 June 2017. This edition of EAATTC gathers five aircraft from four different countries (Belgium: C130; Germany: C160; Poland C130 and Spain: C295 and C130). This training aims to provide air transport crews with a robust airlift tactics training syllabus in order to enhance interoperability between European air forces. The graduation ceremony for participating aircrew will take place as part of the opening of the ETAC on June 8 2017.
As part of EDA’s approach to explore new avenues for defence cooperation and enabling technologies, its innovative project on 3D printing in defence will be deployed as part of EAATTC 17-3. The project, officially titled “Additive Manufacturing Feasibility Study & Technology Demonstration”, aims to assess the areas where Additive Manufacturing (AM) (3D printing) can have a positive impact on defence capabilities and to demonstrate its feasibility.
The second work strand of this project is a technology demonstration of AM in a simulated deployment scenario. Its aim is to demonstrate the feasibility and operational utility of deploying these technologies in support of a military operation. The deployment of the 3D printing lab represents a significant step in bridging the data gap on 3D printer performance in deployed conditions and will demonstrate the operational utility of these technologies.
First of all the lab will be deployed on a test flight to examine its feasibility to be deployed by air. During the exercise the lab technicians will interact with the officials deployed at EAATTC 17-3, presenting the possibilities offered by the equipment, and identifying in a close dialogue with them what are the main needs in an operation that could be fulfilled with an AM facility. Together, the technicians the officials will select a number of different test parts to be produced on site and on demand, with different grades of complexity.
The project represents a clear example of how cross-fertilization of ideas from different domains, from R&T to operations, will enhance defence capabilities, especially when supporting deployed missions. The overall study has the objective of raising awareness in the defence community and of promoting a better understanding of the potential held by these technologies, thereby stimulating their implementation in defence specific areas.
Media Day – June 8
Members of the media can avail of a special one day media flight from Brussels to Zaragoza airbase (kindly provided by the Belgian Ministry of Defence) for the opening of ETAC. All details can be found here.
On June 8 EDA will be live from Zaragoza airbase for special coverage of the opening of ETAC.
Throughout the day we will be bringing you live updates on twitter of the opening ceremony, graduation of aircrews, interviews and visits to the 3D printing lab.
Visit our twitter page (@EUDefenceAgency) and get involved using #EUdefence.
The second Conference on Test and Evaluation (T&E) was held in Vienna on 24-27 April 2017 with the title “European priorities - challenges and opportunities for a large EU network of T&E Centres“.
Building on the success of the first conference held in Rome in 2014, the Vienna conference was attended by around 100 experts from 17 EDA Member States, the European defence industry, and the European Commission, as well as NATO representatives. The aim was to provide a forum for the T&E community to exchange ideas, information and experiences.
The conference was opened by Lieutenant General Norbert Gehart, Armament Director, Austrian Federal Ministry for National Defence and Sport, and Mr Rini Goos, Deputy Chief Executive, European Defence Agency, and was hosted by the Austrian Armament and Defence Technology Agency. The conference sessions were moderated by the EDA Cooperation Panning and Support Director Mr. Roland Van Reybroeck, together with members of the Defence Test and Evaluation Base (DTEB) Plenary Group.
Current challenges for T&E requirements derived from the Capability Development Plan (CDP) in the wider context of the under the EU Global Strategy provided the basis for more than 20 presentations and interactive discussions among conference participants. European T&E cooperation examples and visits to Austrian test facilities provided practical insights and the opportunity to exchange experiences and lessons learned.
Main results of the conference included the acknowledgment of common challenges facing the T&E community and the need for a large European network of test facilities. Test and evaluation was recognized as a key enabler in support ofEU capability development priorities contributing to the objectives of the EU Global Strategy Implementation Plan on Security and Defence. The conference encouraged participating Member States to enhance cooperation and coordination of T&E initiatives under the EDA umbrella, to improve awareness of existing T&E capabilities, to explore opportunities for civil and military cooperation and to maintain and further develop key skills and competences in the T&E domain to the largest extent possible.
BackgroundThe Test and Evaluation Community Days Conference is an EDA initiative held every three years in cooperation with a participating Member State. It brings together experts from Europe’s government Test Centres, project managers, T&E Directors, and European Defence Technology Industry Base (DTIB) representatives to exchange information, learn from each other and initiate new T&E projects, and create strategic networks to support EU forces.
More information:
EDA has opened a call for submissions from defence industry representatives on the topic of Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS). This call is in response to the agreement between EDA defence ministers to develop a more structured and regular dialogue with industry. In this domain, the EDA has developed an approach that is supported by Member States and invites defence industry representatives and research institutes to respond to the call for papers (attachment below). Submissions must be sent to the EDA by the 16th of June 2017.
The aim of the process is to enrich the CDP long-term view with industry inputs on the long term perspective of the industrial and technological outlook for specific capability areas. This will not be a forum for discussing the commercial aspects of current systems but a dialogue intended to explore the long-term (20 years ahead) aspects of military warfare focused on Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS).
The EDA will hold a one day workshop on the 12th of September 2017. Selected industry representatives will be invited to share their views of long-term outlooks focusing on the questions listed in the questionnaire. Speakers will be selected based on this call for papers, which will be evaluated by the EDA. Submissions are sought from as wide as possible a range of industries involved in aspects of development related to RPAS. Though responses to all questions in the questionnaire are encouraged, submitters may develop answers to specific questions in greater detail based on their area of expertise. This will allow thematic discussion panels to be formed. Submissions will be judged on their innovativeness and relevance as well as ability to stimulate discussion on the future role of RPAS in the military context. Participation in this call for papers is open to companies of any size as well as academic, semi-governmental research institutes and associations or grouping of industrial suppliers.
How to submit
Download the call for papers here: Annex to EDA201705069 - CDP Industry Questionnaire
Send your completed files to cps@eda.europa.eu with a copy to aleksandrs.bucens@eda.europa.eu
Deadline for submissions is the 16th of June 2017
Contact point
Aleksandrs BUCENS
Project Officer Cooperation Planning Strategic Analysis
aleksandrs.bucens@eda.europa.eu
+32 2 504 28 37
One last set of slides from MCIS, this one mostly maps describing operations in Syria. A lot of the slides in this set were actually videos being played through powerpoint, so those are not included here.
The European Defence Agency is pleased to invite you to the official opening of the new European Tactical Airlift Centre (ETAC) on June 8th in Zaragoza. We are delighted that Head of the EDA, High Representative and Vice-President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini and Minister of Defence of Spain Dolores de Cospedal will official open the ETAC. They will be joined by EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq, Members of the EU Military Committee and representatives of European Ministries of Defence. The Belgian Ministry of Defence is kindly providing a complementary flight (Brussels-Zaragoza-Brussels) on June 8th for members of the press.
Press opportunities
Opening of the ETAC: marks a significant moment in European defence cooperation. ETAC represents the largest transfer of a project, created and developed by the EDA, to one of its Member States on a permanent basis. Zaragoza will officially become the home of the European Air Transport Fleet (EAFT) Programme, created in 2011 by EDA and currently numbers 20 participating nations. The opening of the ETAC is a fundamental step forward in European defence collaboration in the critical capability domain of tactical airlift.
EAATTC 17-3 Static Display and Presentation: The third European Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Course for 2017 (EAATTC 17-3), hosted by Spain, will also draw to a close on June 8th. This edition of EAATTC gathers four aircraft from four different countries (Belgium, Germany, Spain and Poland). This training aims to provide air transport crews with a robust airlift tactics training syllabus in order to enhance interoperability between European air forces. The media day offers members of the press an opportunity to learn more about this training exercise, European capabilities in military airlift and interact with the crews and planes involved during the static display.
Additive Manufacturing (3D printing) in defence: ETAC Media Day on June 8th also offers the opportunity to discover more of EDA’s work in defence innovation. EDA will deploy its new 3D printing lab as part of a project project’s to assess the areas where Additive Manufacturing (3D printing) can have a positive impact on defence capabilities and to demonstrate its feasibility. The lab’s deployment to seeks to bridge the data gap on 3D printer performance in deployed conditions and will demonstrate the operational utility of these technologies in a realistic operational environment.
Registration for Media Flight & Programme
A full press programme will be communicated closer to the date, however departure of the flight is expected between 07:30 - 08:30 from Melsbroek Airbase returning between 17:00 - 18:00. Final times will be confirmed at a later date. The EDA is coordinating media registration for the complementary flight* on June 8th.
Members of the press can apply for a seat on the media flight by contacting: Mr Paul Quinn (paul.quinn@eda.europa.eu) EDA Media and Communication Officer.
Registration will close on May 22 2017.
*Seats are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
Flight time to Zaragoza is approximately 2 hours. Should you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.
We very much hope you will be able to attend and look forward to welcoming you for the Opening of the European Tactical Airlift Centre.
Paul QUINN, Media & Communication Officer
European Defence Agency
Rue des Drapiers 17-23
B-1050 Brussels (Belgium)
Tel: ++3225042842
paul.quinn@eda.europa.eu