EDA News

For the first time, a fully fledged defence research project - initiated by the Croatian Ministry of Defence and supported by the European Defence Agency (EDA) - has been awarded EU co-funding under the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF). So far only ‘dual-use’ projects with both civilian and military applications had been able to secure ESIF funding.

The granting of ESIF funding to this Croatian project, which aims at developing a cyber conflict simulator, represents a landmark in EDA’s year-long efforts to open up EU funding opportunities for pure defence research projects, in addition to dual-use projects.

The news was welcomed by EDA’s Chief Executive, Jorge Domecq: “The fact that ESIF funding is now also accessible to genuine defence projects is an important signal that should help strengthen the European defence industrial base. The Agency will continue to exploit the benefits of wider EU policies for defence stakeholders and facilitate their access to EU funding possibilities”.

The cyber conflict simulator set to be developed under the Croatian project is meant to be fit-for-purpose and usable by MoDs straightaway, including in European and international military exercises. It will allow for multiple groups in different roles to collaborate or compete within a defined cyber space, in order to address potential cybernetic attacks. It will also enable the definition of a cyber terrain consisting of different objects, connections, threats, controls, which will be defined by a set of properties and functions connected in a variety of ways.

The project implementation is led by a Croatian small and medium enterprise. ESIF will fund 80% of the total project eligible costs.

The EDA is now looking forward to its Member States’ defence stakeholders applying further defence projects to ESIF. To facilitate interested stakeholders and provide them with best possible information, the Agency has set up an ‘ESIF web-platform’ as well as an ‘ESIF Success Stories’ webpage.

• Access to EU funding (EDA project page)
• ESIF web-platform
• EDA’s ESIF success stories
• COSME web-platform
• EDA’s industry info
  
  
  

The European Defence Agency (EDA) today published a call for papers on the topic of Maritime Surveillance which is open to defence industry, academia, research institutes and associations or groupings of industrial suppliers. The call is part of EDA’s new approach towards establishing a structured dialogue and enhanced engagement with industry in the context of the ongoing Capability Development Plan (CDP) revision and aims at associating defence industry to an upcoming EDA Maritime Surveillance Workshop with defence planners and relevant experts.

Following a first workshop focusing on Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS) which took place on 12th September 2017, the EDA is now organising a second one-day workshop to be held on 1 February 2018 to explore the mid to long-term (20 years ahead) aspects of Maritime Surveillance.

This workshop will not be a forum for discussing the commercial aspects of current systems, but a dialogue intended to enrich the CDP long-term view with industry inputs on the long term industrial and technological outlook in the specific capability area of Maritime Surveillance.

In this perspective, the EDA is inviting National Defence Industry Associations (NDIAs) and the AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) to reach out to their members and encourage them to respond to the call for papers.

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 Maritime Surveillance. 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 Maritime Surveillance. 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.
 

• Download the call for papers: Maritime Surveillance CDP Industry Questionnaire
• Send your completed files to EDA at cps@eda.europa.eu with a copy to eric.girard@eda.europa.eu
• Deadline for submissions is 17 November 2017.

Eric Girard
Head of Unit Maritime Domain
Eric.girard@eda.europa.eu
T +32 2 504 28 72

• Maritime Surveillance (EDA project page)

On 10 October, the European Defence Agency (EDA) held a workshop and networking event aimed at facilitating transnational cluster partnerships among European defence stakeholders (industry, research organisations, academia, etc.). The aim was to help interested parties benefit from EU funding opportunities and participate in relevant calls for proposals, in particular the ongoing COSME-funded call for proposals for defence-related clusters.

This the second time that the EDA organized such a workshop this year. The events were attended by 20 defence-related clusters from 13 EU Member States, representing over 1,000 defence stakeholders (SMEs and larger enterprises, academia, research and technology organisations, etc.).

During both workshops, European Commission representatives presented their activities in defence-related domains while EDA’s experts brought forward Agency’s recent work on R&T+I prioritisation, the Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR), industry engagement and the wide spectrum of EU programmes able to fund Key Strategic Activities (KSA) and EDA’s Overarching Strategic Research Agenda priorities.

Some 30 cluster-to-cluster (C2C) meetings took place during the two EDA workshops, either building new partnerships or enhancing existing ones, a practical example of the EDA’s role as an interface between Member States’ Defence ministries and industry, on the one hand, and the European Commission and other EU institutions, on the other.

• Eduards Filippovs (Coordinator for International Relations of Cluster of Security and Defence of Latvia): “EDA is fulfilling a very important mission: bringing together public officials, industry and professional by encouraging to make new partnerships and cooperation, as well use of new instruments we have never had before in the defence sector”.
• Eugenio Fontán (General Manager of Madrid Aerospace Cluster): “EDA is developing a set of concrete actions to implement the political strategy of Innovation in Defence”.
• Klaus Bolving (CEO, Center for Defence, Space & Security, DK): ”The workshop provided participants with high-value information on new business and investment opportunities within the dual-use and defence areas in a very comprehensive and clear way. Moreover, the much appreciated C2C session led to new opportunities, which look promising with regard to closer collaboration between the European defence-related clusters. I look forward to following EDA and the European Commission’s continued work on facilitating European growth, jobs and capabilities for the benefit of a greater and more secure Europe”.
• Tomas Žalandauskas (Director of the Baltic Institute of Advanced Technology and Vice-president of NGPA, clustering national defence industry in Lithuania): “It is hard to overestimate the value of direct contacts in such a conservative field like defense industry. We are grateful for EDA for excellent opportunity to find future partners and relevant information on funding possibilities for Europe wide initiatives”.
• Ziga Valic (Head of European & International Affairs at the French Cluster Optitec): “EDA workshop for defence-related clusters is a welcome initiative offering a thorough overview of funding opportunities on European level and an excellent transnational networking opportunity benefiting clusters from all over the Europe. We hope this event will be organised on annual basis as it is a real value-added”.

• Access to EU funding (EDA project page)
• COSME web-Platform
• ESIF web-platform
• EDA’s ESIF success stories
• EDA’s industry info
  
  
  

Hosted by the Hellenic Air Force, the Annual Military Airworthiness Conference was opened in Athens this Wednesday by Roland van Reybroeck, EDA Director Cooperation Planning & Support, followed by a keynote speech from Lieutenant General Christoforos Smyrlis, Inspector General of the Hellenic Air Force.

The two-day event (11th and 12th October) brings together key stakeholders from national aviation and airworthiness authorities, European agencies, international organisations and industry, for presentations and discussions on a variety of topics related to the harmonization of military airworthiness requirements, their  implementation and further evolution as a critical enabler for deeper defence cooperation.

In his speech, Mr Van Reybroeck recalled that the excellent work performed in the context of the Military Airworthiness Authorities (MAWA) Forum delivered “a full and mature set of European Military Airworthiness Requirements (EMARs) that is now available to Member States”. Their progressive implementation and the mutual recognition of National Military Airworthiness Authorities “is key in paving the way for more and deeper cooperation”, he said.  He emphasized that “The next harmonisation phase should now focus on further evolution of the regulatory and oversight framework”. Referring to the longer term perspective, he stated: “Once a harmonised European Military Airworthiness System will have been fully developed and sufficient confidence is gained from its implementation, steps could be taken towards the formation of a European Military Joint Airworthiness Authorities Organisation (EMJAAO)” as envisaged by Ministers of Defence in 2008, emphasising that this would in no way whatsoever  be a supranational authority. Mr Van Reybroeck reiterated that the European Defence Agency remains committed to facilitate the ongoing work and cooperation, and to coordinate the military views of the participating Member States including through the organisation of supporting events such as this Military Airworthiness Conference.
 

The MAWA community will continue to harmonise views and approaches to overcome fragmentation. Thus, further development and maintenance of harmonized military airworthiness requirements and supporting documents will remain a key objective of the MAWA community. At the same time, harmonization of processes and procedures to support recognition and increase efficiency in oversight will unlock further benefits for industry and national authorities alike. Emerging topics such as RPAS airworthiness requirements and safety management will set the scene for future activities and must be appropriately addressed in a joint and coordinated manner, in close coordination with relevant civil and military stakeholders.
 

• EDA project page on European Military Airworthiness Authorities Forum (MAWA)

The European Defence Agency (EDA) has received 24 submissions with consortia including around 190 entities (with some applying to various calls in different consortia) in response to the three Calls for Proposals for the Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR).

The objective of this year’s calls is to award grant agreements for a value of some €22 million from the Preparatory Action’s 2017 budget and to exercise options of up to an additional €20 million next year, to be funded under the 2018 budget, once available. 

“The high interest in the Preparatory Action on Defence Research was obvious from the Information Day and Brokerage Event, conducted by the EDA and the European Commission in June 2017, with over 400 participants. What is noteworthy, besides the number of submissions itself, is the incredible amount of entities - research institutes, small and mediums size enterprises and prime companies - which have bid for the various calls. This reflects the urgent need for more defence research funding, cross-border collaboration and harmonisation in Europe. With the  PADR, we are on the right path to a more comprehensive European Defence Research Programme after 2020”, commented Jorge Domecq, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency.

Research in defence-related technologies is critical for the development of the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base and to strengthen EU Member States’ strategic autonomy.

The European Commission launched the Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR) on 11 April 2017. The foreseen budget is €90 million over three years. The aim of the PA is to test and lay the groundwork for a possible European Defence Research Programme in the next Multiannual Financial Framework after 2020. 

The EDA and the European Commission signed a Delegation Agreement on 31 May 2017, by which EDA became the PADR’s implementing agency. The EDA published the first three Calls for Proposals on 7 June 2017. The deadlines to respond were 28 September 2017 for the 'research in technology and products in the context of Force Protection and Soldier Systems' and 'strategic technology foresight' topics, and 5 October 2017 for the 'technological demonstrator for enhanced situational awareness in a naval environment' topic.

The EDA will now conduct evaluations with the support of independent subject matter experts. The evaluation and scrutiny process will last until December 2017. The EDA expects to sign the various grants with the beneficiaries towards the end of 2017 and early 2018.

Based on the budgets for 2018 and 2019, additional Calls for Proposals and Information Days are in preparation.

Before the PADR, a Pilot Project (PP) was introduced in the EU budget in 2015 and 2016, adopted by the European Council and the European Parliament, on the basis of an initiative by the latter, and with the EDA as implementing agency. With a budget of €1.4 million, the three projects of the PP are well under way.

• 2017 calls for proposals published for PA on Defence Research (June 2017)
• Preparatory Action - EDA Project Page
• PA factsheet
• Research and Innovation Participant Portal (Pilot Projects & Preparatory Actions)

Early next year (23-25 January 2018), the European Defence Agency (EDA) will organise a workshop on ‘Innovations for Field Medicine’ in order to support future Multinational Medical Modular (M3U) developments, foster a platform for multinational collaboration and establish a dialogue with industry.

The main practical objectives of this workshop will be to identify new and promising products and services in three main areas:

• Advancements in pre-hospital care: solutions, including those contracted with external providers, to provide the best possible treatment for wounded soldiers from the point of injury to the Field Hospital
• Field Hospitals for present and future CSDP Operations: new systems to realise or provide cost-effective solutions for new generations of field hospitals, linked to the EDA M3U-Programme
• Medical training and simulation: systems and technologies to improve training and learning in a simulated environment prior to clinical encounters such as task trainers, virtual reality simulators, virtual patients, and computerized full-body manikins.

In order to prepare this workshop in an efficient manner, and to ensure as fair, objective and balanced a discussion as possible the EDA is now looking for input from industry who are invited to express their views and expectations via a special questionnaire prepared by the Agency. The questionnaire has been distributed via National defence Industry associations, and AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe. EDA encourages industry to respond to the questionnaire as this will contribute to ensuring a high-quality workshop.

Industrial representatives will be invited to the workshop to present their products and solutions, and also to discuss and share their views on medium and long-term developments.

• Send your completed files to CAT@eda.europa.eu, with a copy to Daniel.PETRILAK@eda.europa.eu
• Deadline for submissions is the 25th of October 2017

• Medical Support (EDA project page)
• Four Project Arrangements signed in the margins of CAP Steering Board (EDA webnews, March 2017)
• Contact: Daniel PETRILAK, Project Officer Medical, daniel.PETRILAK@eda.europa.eu / phone +32 2 504 28 71

EDA’s efforts to support Member States gaining access to European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) for defence-related research projects continue to bear fruit: a project put forward by the Hellenic Ministry of Defence and aimed at developing a transferable Autonomous Composting Unit (ACU) for organic wastes to be used in military missions has just been granted ESIF funding.

For the first time, an EDA-supported project funded by ESIF is directly related to introducing the ‘circular economy’ concept into the military - a new endeavor actively supported by the EDA.

Deployed troops (missions, operations) traditionally generate high volumes of waste which can cause significant ecological and even health-related issues. The ACU project in question intends to alleviate this problem by developing a self-sustained waste treatment capability, which uses innovative energy and environmental technologies while still meeting military requirements.

The project is led by a Greek SME. Its budget is € 1 282 000 of which about 50% will be financed through ESIF co-funding.

So far, already six EDA-supported R&T projects have been granted ESIF co-funding for a total amount of € 8.5 million (average co-funding rate: 66% of total project costs). All those projects are listed on our new special ‘ESIF success stories’ page where defence stakeholders willing to apply for ESIF funding can find best practices and useful information.

• Contact EDA
• ESIF success stories in defence
• EDA’s summary table on EU funding opportunities for defence-related stakeholders
• EDA’s “ESIF web-platform”
• EDA’s work supporting access to EU funding
• EDA’s work on “circular economy” in defence
• EDA’s work on energy for defence

On 5/6 October, the Protection of Critical Energy Infrastructure (PCEI) expert group - set up under the European Commission’s Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS) - met at the European Defence Agency (EDA) to deliver the “PCEI Conceptual Paper: Focus on European Union Defence”. This step concludes the first phase of the expert group’s work. It should assist Member States to build consensus on how to enhance best the protection and resilience of defence related Critical Energy Infrastructures.

To address the risks, vulnerabilities, capability and research shortfalls of defence related Critical Energy Infrastructures (CEI), the PCEI expert group was set up in May 2016. It’s primary task was to assess how the defence sector can apply existing EU CEI legislation to enhance the protection of defence-related CEI and improve its resilience throughout Europe. For that purpose, the group developed an EU-wide defence focused ‘PCEI Conceptual Paper’.

The chairman of the group, Colonel Georgios Drosos from the Hellenic MOD, explains that “this Paper is intended to lead to a collaborative civilian-military approach which supports EU Member States in the identification of best practices and tools which will strengthen further the resilience of defence related CEI from any failures, risks or threats, including terrorism, cyber-attacks, migration flow stress, climate change, and natural hazards”.

Martin Konertz, EDA’s Capability Armaments and Technology (CAT) Director, considers that “this PCEI Conceptual Paper will provide an important building block for increased CEI resilience in the EU as it should inform a related EU policy or guidelines and assist Member States to initiate projects of common interest with the support of the EU”.
 

Besides the Conceptual Paper, the PCEI expert group also produced a factsheet designed to increase collaboration, awareness and visibility. Both documents will be submitted in mid-October to the European Commission’s DG Energy for final approval. Denis Roger, EDA’s European Synergies and Innovation (ESI) Director, stated: “In order to move beyond the conceptual phase and towards a broader consensus, we will need to foster a common PCEI culture within the EU defence sector and even beyond that, in wider society. In this way, we can contribute to securing a sustainable energy supply chain for both fixed infrastructures and for CSDP operations”.
 

The work of the PCEI expert group is led by the Ministries of Defence of Cyprus and Greece, supported by their respective national academia and research centres (Centre for Research & Technology Hellas – CERTH, Cyprus University of Technology, European University Cyprus, KIOS Research and Innovation Center of Excellence - University of Cyprus, National Technical University of Athens - NTUA). The Commission’s DG Energy and Joint Research Centre as well as the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence (ENSEC COE) also support the work of the PCEI expert group. At this stage, six EDA Member States (Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Ireland, Greece and Cyprus) are participating in the group. It is supported within the Agency at an inter-directorate level (CAT and ESI) by CAT Project Officer Protect, Dr Constantinos Hadjisavvas, and ESI Project Officer Energy and Environment Systems, Richard Brewin.
 

• Experts group looks into protection of critical energy infrastructures for defence (webnews, October 2016)
• Phase 1 of Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in Defence completed (webnews, September 2017)

Following several requests from industry representative and considering the importance of European Industry’s feedback, EDA has decided to extend the deadline for the Industry Exchange Platform papers’ submissions until 11 October. 

The call for papers aims at gathering the views from industries and other stakeholders about several topics in the RPAS ATI area and will contribute to set the initial scope of this Industry Exchange Platform. Additional information on this initiative is available here.
 

• Call for papers: EDA Industry Exchange Platform on RPAS AIR TRAFFIC INTEGRATION (ATI) 

To build a common understanding of the REACH regulatory provisions and facilitate the exchange of best practices in the field of Ammunition Classification, EDA Member States adopted on 22 September a Common Position on Ammunition Classification under REACH.

The Common Position is based on the outcome of the Agency’s work conducted in this field since 2014, with the support of Member States’ REACH and ammunition experts at technical level, and on the basis of a continuous exchange with the European Commission, the European Chemicals Agency and EU defence industry.

The adoption of the Common Position constitutes an important milestone as it will significantly contribute to:

• reducing the risk of misinterpretation of, and enhancing compliance to, the REACH Regulation´s provisions on substances/mixtures or articles;
• supporting the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) in its efforts to raise awareness on issues pertaining to ammunition classification under REACH; and
• minimising the possibility of potential incorrect classification of ammunition along the REACH Regulation´s provisions on substances/mixtures or articles, and related potential negative impact on the operational effectiveness of Member States’ Armed Forces.

The Common Position reflects EDA participating Member States’ (pMS) position/views on the classification of ammunition categories and types under REACH. It also states that ”Views reflected are for reference only and are not in any way legally binding for those obligated by REACH, the Member States, or other REACH stakeholders. Usage of the information contained in the document remains under the sole responsibility of the users, including ensuring that any conclusions drawn on the basis of the information are compliant with REACH or any other applicable national and EU legislation. The EDA and its pMS adopting this document, will not be held liable or bear any responsibility in this regard.”

 The EDA has disseminated the Common Position as widely as possible to relevant stakeholders, including the Commission, ECHA and EU defence industry, and intends to assess potential feedback/comments, as basis for future improvement of the document.

• EDA Member States Common Position on Ammunition Classification under REACH - full text as adopted
• EDA REACH Activities
• CapTech Ammunition Technologies (EDA project page)

The European Defence Agency’s ‘Mission Abort System for Guided Ammunition’ (MAS) project, launched late 2013, has successfully demonstrated a generic system to cancel the flight of gun launched precision ammunition, when the projectile exits the pre-defined safety corridor.

The project, sponsored by both the German and Italian MoDs in the frame of EDA’s Capability Technology (CapTech) Ammunition Technologies group, addresses the challenge that affects most European shooting ranges: they are too narrow and too short to adhere to the necessary safety areas for shooting tests with guided ammunition.

So as to enable European shooting ranges to perform this test firing, a generic mission abort system was designed and demonstrated. In the event of a deviation from the predefined flight path, the system will break down the projectile into two parts and these parts will not leave the surface danger area. The project progressed through several phases from concept through to overall design, more detailed designs, construction, integration, and design verification tests.

The aerodynamic analysis, safety area calculations, and reliability analysis were also undertaken. The final test consisted of firing of two MAS demonstrators with the Howitzer PzH2000 and was conducted at Meppen Proving Ground (WTD91) in Germany in the third quarter of 2016.

The feasibility of mission abort systems for guided ammunition was successfully proven. This represents an important step towards the utilisation of European test ranges in the performance of guided ammunition tests. Possible miniaturisation of electronic components could facilitate the integration of MAS into rounds with calibres smaller than 70 mm. Another possibility might be the implementation of MAS into operational ammunition.

The demonstrator was developed by Diehl BGT Defence and Finmeccanica and the test projectile used was the Vulcano 155mm (subcaliber 92 mm).

Picture copyright: Diehl/Leonardo

• CapTech Ammunition Technologies - EDA project page

The 12th edition of the Joint Personnel Recovery Staff Course (JPRSC), a project initiated and supported by the European Defence Agency (EDA), was co-organised and hosted for the first time by the Italian Joint Air Operation School from 12th to 22nd of September 2017 in Guidonia, Italy.

A total of 19 students, from 6 contributing countries (Cyprus, Ireland, The Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Italy) benefitted from the knowledge and experience of a cadre of instructors from Germany, Hungary and Italy. The European Personnel Recovery Centre (EPRC), a close partner of EDA, contributed to the event by organizing a specific instructor course aimed at ‘training the trainers’.

The main focus of the course was to train staff officers to support their commanders in personnel recovery related matters. The course was designed for personnel in Tactical Operational Centres (TOCs), Personnel Recovery Coordination Cells (PRCCs) or Joint Personnel Recovery Cells (JPRC’s). The overall objective of the JPRSC is to ensure that trained personnel are available to support any future personnel recovery activities in an operational context.

Personnel recovery is a vital element of modern operational planning as it provides a security net for deployed personnel. Most importantly, it boosts morale and acknowledges the responsibility of Member States and the European Union to develop and provide relevant capabilities to recover and reintegrate isolated personnel deployed in the context of crisis management operations under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).

The next EDA JPRSC will take place from 15th to 24th November 2017 in Italy (Poggio, Renatico) and will be organised by the European Personnel Recovery Centre (EPRC).
Background

The EDA PRCPC project was established on 30 May 2013 as an EDA Category B project under the lead of Sweden. As of today, it includes eight contributing EU Member States (cMS): Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands and Sweden. The course has been extended three times and will be finalised on 30 May 2019. The JPRSC is part of the EDA’s Personnel Recovery Controller and Planner Course (PRCPC).

Germany and Norway to join the MMF

In a signing ceremony on 25 September, 2017, the current Multinational Multi-Role Tanker Transport Fleet (MMF) contract was amended to include both Germany and Norway as participants to the MMF project along with the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Mr. Arturo Alfonso-Meiriño, OCCAR Director, Mr. Bernhard Brenner, Airbus Defence & Space Executive Vice President Marketing and Sales, and Mr. Didier Plantecoste, Airbus Defence & Space Head of Tanker Programmes and Derivatives officially signed the amendment at OCCAR-EA offices in Bonn, Germany.

This amendment exercises a contract option to significantly increase the scope of the project from the two A330 MRTT aircraft initially ordered to seven aircraft in total, including also options for up to four additional aircraft (potential increase to 11 aircraft in total). The contract amendment signifies an important evolution of the MMF Programme as a key capability for NATO and European Air Forces, demonstrates the increasing confidence of European nations in the cooperative solution achieved by the European Union and NATO and recognizes the A330 MRTT product. Further nations are expected to join the MMF in the future and to exercise the available contract options.

Also in attendance at this important signing ceremony were Mr. Peter Dohmen, General Manager, NSPA, Mr. Jan der Kinderen, the Netherlands, Mr. Tom Schons, Luxembourg, Mr. Stefan Neumann, Germany, and Mr. Dion Polman, EDA.

The MMF project was initiated by the European Defence Agency (EDA) in 2012 and the Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d'Armement (OCCAR) manages the acquisition as the NATO Support and Procurement Agency’s Contract Executing Agent. The acquisition phase was launched in July 2016 with the signing of the original contract and includes the first two years of support. Following the acquisition phase, NSPA will be responsible for the complete life-cycle management of the fleet.

The Programme is funded by the four participants to the MMF project who will have the exclusive right to use these NATO-owned aircraft which will operate in a pooling arrangement. The aircraft will be configured for inflight refuelling, the transport of passengers (including VIPs) and cargo as well as for medical evacuation flights. The aircraft will be operated by a multinational unit from the Main Operating Base (MOB) in Eindhoven (NLD) and Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Cologne (GER).

The delivery of the seven A330 MRTT aircraft currently on contract from Airbus Defence and Space’s tanker conversion line at Getafe near Madrid is expected between 2020 and 2022.

• Germany and Norway formally join Netherlands and Luxembourg to operate pooled fleet of NATO-owned Airbus A330 MRTT tankers (EDA news, June 2017)
• Multinational Multi-Role Tanker Transport Fleet (MMF) takes shape (EDA news July 2016)
• Air-to-Air Refuelling - EDA Project Page

The fifth and last meeting of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS) was held in Thessaloniki on 19-21 September 2017.

The conference was opened by His Excellency Panos Kammenos (Hellenic Minister of National Defence), Mr Jorge Domecq (Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency, EDA), Mr Tudor Constantinescu (Principal Adviser to the Director-General Energy of the European Commission) and Professor Athansios Konstandopoulos, the Chairman of Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH). Mr Dominique Ristori, the Director-General of the Directorate-General Energy of the European Commission, greeted the participants by video message. It was closed by Mr Denis Roger, the European Synergies and Innovation Director at the EDA.

Opening the conference, EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq thanked the participants for the active involvement in the Forum over the last two years. He also used the opportunity to give direction for the future: “As we move to the next phase of the Consultation Forum, we need to focus on defence energy projects and their funding. We need to focus on results.”

As possible project areas, Mr Domecq highlighted infrastructure improvements leading for example to the refurbishment of buildings to Nearly Zero Energy Building standards. Projects relating to the assessment of renewable energy technologies could be analysed for where investments could be made to make commercial renewable energy technologies suitable for military use. Finally, there could also be scope to develop policy tools and training on raising energy awareness as well as the development of tools for optimum technology selection.

European Commission Director-General Dominique Ristori said the energy transition was a “top priority of the European Union”. “It is not only about energy and climate alone. It is about accelerating the fundamental modernisation of Europe's entire economy, making it low-carbon, energy and resource efficient, in a socially fair manner. And making it less dependent on imports. It requires the transformation of the whole energy system. All sectors need to contribute and to reap the benefits. I am therefore very pleased that we will continue with the second phase of the Consultation Forum as of October. This would allow, inter alia, a deeper analysis of the issues at stake and the identification of bottlenecks that need to be resolved to allow the defence sector to benefit fully from sustainable energy and to use the energy transition as a major economic opportunity”, he stated.

The aim of this week’s last meeting of the Consultation Forum was to reach agreement on the content of final report with recommendations for a more implementation focused second phase. The conference was attended by around 100 experts from government administrations, as well as industry, academia, NATO representatives and the European Commission. In total, there have been five conferences of this first phase of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector.
In closing the conference, Director European Synergies and Innovation Denis Roger highlighted, that “we have built a defence energy community which did not exist before”.

The second phase of the Consultation Forum will have an implementation focus to take the knowledge developed in the first phase and turn this into results. The focus will remain on energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, and the protection of critical energy infrastructure in relation to the implications of relevant EU legislation when applied to the defence sector’s infrastructure. This means that results will have direct benefits for the delivery of defence infrastructure capability, while contributing to the broader objectives of the Energy Union.

The Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector is a European Commission initiative managed by the European Defence Agency. It brings together experts from the defence and energy sectors to share information and best practice on improving energy management, energy efficiency, and the use of renewable energy. The Consultation Forum has taken place in a series of five plenary meetings over 24 months, and its first phase will be concluded in October 2017.
The work is carried out in three parallel working groups each with a particular focus: (1) Energy Management, (2) Energy Efficiency & 3) Renewable Energy. There was also a Protection of Critical Energy Infrastructure PCEI) Experts Group which developed a conceptual paper on PCEI.

• Consultation Forum webpage

In spring 2017, the European Defence Agency (EDA) launched the ‘OMBT-Leo2’ project, a new Pooling & Sharing initiative which aims at optimizing existing Main Battle Tank (MBT) capabilities in Europe with an initial focus on the Leopard 2A4.

The concept foresees the offer of surplus Leopard platforms available in certain Member States (the ‘providers’) and transfer them (lease, rent or sell) together with an upgrading package to one or several other Member States (the ‘receivers’) interested in acquiring and introducing in-service this type of capability. The Pooling & Sharing of training, exercises and maintenance between providers and receivers, using already existing facilities, is also part of the concept.

Additionally, regarding economies of scale, Member States owning and operating for national purposes the same type of MBTs, can opt-in for upgrading their in-service fleet.
Business Case

The EDA is now elaborating a business case based on the upgrading of participating Leopard 2A4 platforms to the latest configuration (2A7) and invites the European defence industry to provide its input. For this purpose, the Agency issued a Request for Information (RFI) on 22 September to the AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) and National Defence Industry Associations (NDIAs) of EU countries, encouraging the European defence industry to consider creating cross-border industrial partnership.

Upgrade of legacy MBTs to the latest technical standards would have a positive impact for European defence industry in the area of land systems. It would also contribute to the maintenance of technological excellence of the European Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB).

This RFI encourages the establishment of European multinational cross-border industrial partnerships as the preferred mechanism to exploit this opportunity. Additionally, EDA considers this programme as a suitable vehicle for enhanced access for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) to the cross-border supply chain.

The business case will have to provide information on the content and cost of the Integrated Logistics Support package provided by industrial partners covering recurring/scheduled maintenance as well as estimated figures for the Life Cycle Costs of the upgraded tanks. With the support provided by EDA on updating the business case, interested Member States will further evaluate the possibility of acquiring/upgrading this up-to-date version of the tanks.

The deadline for responding to this RFI is 8 December 2017.

All the responses will be evaluated by experts from EDA and interested Member States at the beginning of 2018.

For the first time ever, COSME (the EU Programme for the COmpetitiveness of enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) offers grants for European defence clusters cooperating in international partnerships.

The European Defence Agency (EDA) has been exploring and highlighting COSME opportunities for  defence-related SMEs and clusters since 2016. An EDA exploratory study addressed defence-related clusters and informed about their potential eligibility for COSME grants, including through a dynamic EDA’s COSME web-platform.  Last March,  EDA hosted a workshop dedicated to EU opportunities for defence-related clusters. Among other topics, the meeting envisaged a future defence-oriented call from the European Commission (EC) allocating COSME grants to EU clusters and, in this respect, EDA started facilitating transnational cluster partnerships during a dedicated cluster-to-cluster (C2C) session.

For the first time ever, and building on the continuous and productive coordination EDA-EC, defence-related clusters now have the opportunity to apply for earmarked grants under the call for proposals - just issued by the Commission’s EASME – “Clusters Go International in the Defence & Security sector”.

The deadline for applications is 13 December 2017 (17:00 Brussels time).

Eligible consortia will have to be composed of at least three different clusters/business network organisations established in three different EU Member States.

At least one of them must be a defence-related entity, meaning :

• either a member of a National Defence Industry Association (see, as non-exhaustive examples, the dedicated EDA’s directory)
• or devoting part of its sales to defence markets
• or taking part in national or European defence-related projects (for example as part of a project managed by the EDA).

EDA stands ready to facilitate the building of cross-border cluster partnerships applying to the just published EASME’s call for proposals.
 

• E-mail EDA
• EDA’s summary table on EU funding opportunities for defence-related stakeholders
• EDA’s “COSME web-platform”
• EDA’s work supporting access to EU funding
• EDA’s work in support of industry
• EDA’s work in support of Small-and-Medium-Sized Enterprises 

The industry workshop on Standard Architecture for Soldier Systems focusing on data management and infrastructure (STASS II) was successfully completed on 6 September 2017. Twenty participants from seven countries and 14 organisations (industry and research) attended the workshop and discussed a suitable approach towards the realisation of an open architecture for soldier systems. 

Industry and research representatives acknowledged and welcomed the progress made in the development of standard architecture to date. Some of the most relevant topics discussed were:

• The lack of standard connectors suitable for dismounted soldier systems (DSS) impedes the standardisation process as standardisation is only possible in cases where at least two sources are available. 
• Lack of data interfaces between weapon devices and soldier systems in the “NATO Powered Accessory Rail” document. Instead it focuses only on the mechanical and electrical interfaces. It was stressed that recommendations be included for such data interfaces in the STASS II architecture. The lack of data interface standardisation means that each manufacturer has to define a data interface which significantly reduces the opportunities for future interoperability.
• Cognitive burden to soldiers imposed by large amounts of available information. The participants recommended the study team to focus not only on technical aspects of soldier systems architecture but also the possible effects on soldiers of such large amounts of data. This aspect is critical of the way tactical information is presented. If a soldier is overwhelmed with information his/her attention can be easily diverted from the battlefield situation and as a result put him/her in danger. 
• The storage of collected information. Nowadays, the sensors that provide Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities generate large volumes of data. A soldier is considered an important asset to collect and thus to support ISTAR capabilities. However this creates the need for equipping him/her with additional equipment. Taking into account the current trend to reduce the cognitive, thermal or weight burden for soldier systems this aspect requires further assessment. 
• As stressed during the workshop, a business model and cost-benefit assessment are important prerequisites prior to investments in  soldier systems. While the majority of benefits are for the user, a STASS II compliant system facilitates a flexible and powerful arrangement that otherwise would be extremely costly.

The STASS II study will be completed by the end of 2017 and together with the STASS I results will propose a comprehensive open reference architecture for soldier systems. The approach initiated under the STASS studies will be further developed under the EU Preparatory Action for Defence Research 2017 (PADR 2017) call for Force Protection and Soldier Systems by defining and technically validating a generic open soldier systems architecture which should be ready for standardisation.

All presentations given during the workshop are available here: 2017-09-06 - STASS II Industrial Workshop - Presentations
 

• CapTech Ground Systems page

The EDA GOVSATCOM Demo Ad-Hoc Working Group will meet this week to further proceed with the Project Arrangement detailing the rules and procedures of the Governmental Satellite Communications (GOVSATCOM) Pooling and Sharing demonstration project. Additionally, Member States have recently agreed for the EDA to conclude an Implementing Arrangement with the European Space Agency (ESA) on their cooperation for GOVSATCOM. This Arrangement will maximise synergies between the activities of the two Agencies to support the European Commission in its efforts for preparing an EU GOVSATCOM initiative.

The EU GOVSATCOM initiative aims to provide EU Member States, organisations and operators with assured satellite communication services by 2020. As part of the programme, the European Space Agency (ESA) this week contracted Airbus to produce a demonstrator providing a technical solution for secured interconnections between different SatCom architectures and users. 
This demonstrator contract follows on from two design studies running between 2015 and 2017 on behalf of the ESA and EDA respectively. The studies served to define and quantify the nature of the European governmental users’ needs and assess the various technologies and architectures of the GOVSATCOM programme, as well as the advantages of the ‘pooling and sharing’ model. 
The GOVSATCOM programme will initially focus on the pooling and sharing of communication capabilities provided by governmental satellites and commercial operator satellites already in orbit. In June 2017, 14 EDA Member States (Austria, Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom) and Norway agreed to develop a demonstrator for pooling and sharing satellite communication capabilities. 

Background

Reliable, stable and secure communications are crucial in any CSDP mission or operation. Yet, terrestrial network infrastructures are not available everywhere, for instance in areas hit by natural disasters, at sea, in the air or in hostile zones. Satellite communications (SATCOM) can be the solution: rapidly deployable, flexible and distance insensitive, they offer communication links where terrestrial networks are damaged, overloaded or non-existent.

However, access to SATCOM cannot be taken for granted at any time, especially not when government users require them at short notice and without pre-arranged agreements. In situations of high demand, competition with other users of commercial SATCOM capacities creates a risk of non-availability and high costs. Against this backdrop, EU leaders decided in 2013 that there was a need for a new solution combining the advantages of commercial and military satellite systems in order to address both civil and military needs through European cooperation. The European Defence Agency, in collaboration with the European Commission and the European Space Agency, is now preparing the next generation of GOVSATCOM. 

GOVSATCOM will be a capability that is placed in between the commercial satellite communication market and the highly protected military satellite communication capability.

• 14 EDA Member States to pool & share GOVSATCOM capabilities
• Governmental Satellite Communications (GovSatcom)

EU Defence Ministers today participate in “EU CYBRID 2017”, a strategic table-top cyber defence exercise. The exercise, the first of its kind, is organised by the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Estonian Ministry of Defence and the European Defence Agency (EDA). The objective of EU CYBRID 2017 is to raise awareness of cybersecurity incident coordination at political level and of the potential effects of offensive cyber-campaigns. It focuses on situational awareness, crisis response mechanisms and strategic communication. 

Cyber is widely recognised as a major threat in the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), yet there has been limited attention to EU missions and operations’ resilience . To address cyber threats in CSDP, Estonia is organising in cooperation with the European Defence Agency a strategic table-top cyber-exercise “EU CYBRID 2017” for EU Ministers of Defence during their informal meeting in Tallinn on 7 September 2017.

“Cyber, the fifth domain of warfare, must be given as much attention as land, air, sea and space. There is no 100% protection in cyber. It is imperative that EU Defence Ministers test their cyber defence mechanisms. The buy-in of Member States is key for the EU to have the necessary skills, technology and capabilities”, Jorge Domecq, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency, said.

The scope of the exercise is crisis response to a major offensive cyber campaign against EU military structures in a hybrid warfare context. The objectives of the exercise are:

• Situational awareness. Use the EU Intelligence and Situation Centre (INTCEN) to ensure a common understanding of the crisis and the impact of hybrid attacks on EU military structures and to give initial assessment/context for the cyber-campaign.
• Crisis Response. Raise awareness of the instruments available to the EU in to give strategic guidance on the response to a major offensive cyber-campaign against CSDP structures in a hybrid warfare context.
• STRATCOM. To coordinate initial messages among EU Member States at political level.
• Cyber defence. Raise awareness on cybersecurity incident coordination at political level and demonstrate potential effects of offensive cyber-campaigns.
• Trigger discussions at Council level with a view to examine possible measures in response to specific events, drawn from the crisis scenario.

EU CYBRID 2017 is a table-top cyber exercise focused on strategic choices and considerations at the EU ministerial level. It is not expected that exercise participants address specific technical issues that arise during the exercise: this will be addressed later in associated exercises (e.g. EU PACE 2017). The goal of the exercise is to highlight a number of strategic concerns and topics that arise in connection with any hypothetical cyber crisis. This exercise should serve as a forum for discussion at ministerial level and provide strategic guidance to address future crises.

The exercise scenario include an orchestrated cyber-attack campaign against an EU-led military operation affecting both an EU Headquarter in Rome (OHQ Rome) and its subordinated maritime assets. Multiple cyber-attacks covering a range of cyber threats combined with other incidents will take place over the course of the exercise. The exercise scenario refers to fictitious countries, organisations and operations.

Cyber defence is one of the priorities of the EDA’s capability development plan and of the NATO-EU Joint Declaration. A project team consisting of EDA and its participating Member States' representatives is responsible for jointly developing cyber defence capabilities within the EU CSDP, supported by R&T experts. The Agency’s main focus is on supporting member states in building a skilled military cyber defence workforce and in ensuring the availability of proactive and reactive cyber defence technology. The EDA for example develops, pilots and delivers a variety of cyber security & defence courses and exercises from basic awareness over expert level to decision maker training.

• Cyber defence project page and factsheet
• Cybersecurity and the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the European Union

EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq held talks in Sofia on 3 and 4 September with the Bulgarian Minister of Defence Mr Krassimir Karakachanov, Deputy Minister of Defence Mr Atanas Zapryanov and the Deputy Foreign Minister Mrs Emiliya Kraleva. Mr Domecq also met with the Defence Committee of the National Assembly and industry representatives. Discussions focused on the preparation of the upcoming Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council during the first half of 2018 and Bulgaria’s current and potential future contributions to EDA projects and programmes.

During the meeting with the Minister of Defence, discussions included the general state of play regarding the Implementation Plan on Security and Defence, the European Defence Fund and the EDA’s further development in view of the long-term review (LTR). Mr. Domecq also ensured Minister Karakachanov of the Agency’s support to defence related events organised in the framework of the Bulgarian Presidency. He thanked the Minister for Bulgaria’s involvement in EDA activities and invited the Minister to further explore the possibility Bulgaria to be actively involved in  EDA’s work related to the free movement of land forces in Europe.

Mr Domecq welcomed the opportunity to discuss EDA initiatives with experts from different directorates of the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Economy. Further discussions were held with representatives of the Bulgarian defence industry, with focus on the opportunities that EDA’s work provides for  the Bulgarian defence industry. The discussion with the Deputy Foreign Minister Emiliya Kraleva and the chairman and members of the Defence Committee of the National Assembly was mostly focused on the security context in Europe as well as in the region.