EDA News

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. 

On 22 August France joined the EU SatCom Market, becoming the 24th member of this EDA initiative launched in 2009 to provide contributing members with flexible commercial satellite communication (SatCom) solutions and more recently also Communication and Information System (CIS) services.

SatCom and CIS services are fundamental for Communication, Command and Control in any military or security related operation or mission. It enables Commanders to connect units in remote areas with HQs and capitals and to manage its mission and tasks. The EU SatCom Market project provides a flexible and cost-effective way of doing this, offering members a pay-per-use solution without imposing any binding financial commitments beyond services ordered. 

The contributing members have mandated the EDA through a ‘Joint Procurement Arrangement’ (JPA), to manage the project including the negotiation and management of Framework Contracts (FWCs) and service requests on their behalf.  So far contracts are signed with Airbus Defence & Space for SatCom  services and with Airbus Defence & Space and Thales Communications & Security for CIS services. 

The current 24 contributing members are: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, the United Kingdom, Republic of Serbia, the Athena Mechanism and the civilian missions EUCAP SAHEL Niger, EUCAP SAHEL Mali, EUAM Ukraine, EUCAP NESTOR and EUMM Georgia.
 

• EU SatCom Market project page
• EU SatCom Market factsheet

EDA has opened a call for papers from defence industry, academia and research institutes on the topic of Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS). The call for papers is focused on the RPAS Air Traffic Integration (ATI) in European airspace in the timeframe 2025-2030. This call is in response to the EDA’s revised approach towards establishing a structured dialogue and enhanced engagement with industry based on a set of priority actions, supported by the EDA Ministerial Steering Board on 18 May 2017. In the RPAS ATI context, and in line with the coordinated approach amongst the main European stakeholders, EDA has set up an Industry Exchange Platform on RPAS Air Traffic Integration.

The purpose of this Exchange Platform is:

• To establish a regular dialogue with industry on a key priority: MALE RPAS integration in the European ATM System in the 2025 – 2030 timeframe.
• To share information on current R&D initiatives and strategies also on industry side in the RPAS ATI domain.
• To identify technology gaps and solutions that can benefit both civil and military applications.

The present call for papers aims at selecting the initial scope and membership of this Exchange Platform, which will hold its next meeting beginning of November 2017. Participation in this call for papers is open to companies of any size as well as academic, research institutes and associations or grouping of industrial suppliers. All proposals must conform to the eligibility criteria set out in this call for papers.  
 

• Download the call for papers here: Call for Papers Industry Exchange Platform on RPAS ATI
• Send your completed files to cps@eda.europa.eu with a copy to juanignacio.delvalle@eda.europa.eu 
• Deadline for submissions is the 29th of September 2017
   

Juan Ignacio DEL VALLE
Project Officer Air Programmes
juanignacio.delvalle@eda.europa.eu
T+32 2 504 29 26

The European Defence Agency’s 5th Helicopter Tactics Instructors Course (HTIC), which ran over several weeks at Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Linton-on-Ouse (North Yorkshire, UK) and Arvidsjaur Airfield in Lapland (Sweden), was successfully completed in July.

The course began in May with a four-week classroom phase, which included simulator exercises at Linton-on-Ouse, followed by a three week deployment to Arvidsjaur Airfield in Lapland/Sweden where participants engaged in live flying exercises. Supported by personnel from No 1 Helikopter Skvadron in Lulea, the flying phase included a complex operational scenario employing: dissimilar formation flying, evasion training against a range of airborne threats, Electronic Warfare (EW) against both ground-based and airborne systems and a variety of additional tasks such as Helicopter Assault, Convoy Escort, Mutual Support and Vehicle Check Points.

The Staff Instructors came from Sweden, Austria and the UK with several supporting air assets: Hawks from 100 Sqn (UK), Gripens from 211 and 212 Sqn (Sweden) and Alca Jets from the Czech Air Force (212 Sqn). In addition, EW assets and personnel was provided by RAF Spadeadam.

In total, 10 Bronze, 6 Silver and 3 Gold Badges were awarded ensuring that the international cadre of Helicopter Tactics Instructors has once again been strengthened and grown for the 5th year in a row.

EDA’s Helicopter Tactics Instructors Course (HTIC) provides aircrew from participating nations with the skills and knowledge to teach advanced tactics to front-line aircrews from within their own national organisations and to assist in delivering the EDA’s Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP), the Helicopter Tactics Course (HTC) and the future HTIC. Successful graduates from the course are awarded a qualification recognised by other Member States. HTIC development courses run over two years: in the first year, prospective instructors refine their own knowledge of advanced helicopter tactics to the maximum degree. In the second year, the emphasis shifts to develop the participants’ ability to teach those tactics. In turn, Instructors who have demonstrated above average abilities in delivering the course will be individually selected to come back a third time and teach alongside the existing instructional staff to finally achieve their Gold instructor qualification to become supervising instructors for future HTIC.
The three main elements of HTIC include Evasion Training, Electronic Warfare and advanced Operations. They are initially taught as stand-alone skills before being brought together in a complex, non-permissive environment in the framework of the planning and execution of Composite Air Operations (COMAO).

Several of EDA’s thematic ‘factsheets’ explaining in more detail some of the topics and domains in which the Agency is working have been updated recently, for instance the one on the Capability Development Plan (CDP), the Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR), Governmental Satellite Communications or the European Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Course.

Click here to learn more about our latest updates and all other publications, brochures, factsheets, infographics and magazines!

Jüri Luik, the Estonian Defence Minister, was welcomed today (26 July) by EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq at the Agency’s premises for a fruitful exchange of views which focused on Estonia’s participation in EDA projects and programmes, cyber defence, the conclusions of the recent Long Term Review of the Agency as well as the implementation of the security and defence aspects of the EU Global Strategy.

In that context, topics such as the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), PESCO and the ongoing work on the setting up of the European Defence Fund were also discussed. Minister Luik was furthermore briefed by EDA management and staff about the state of play in EDA’s Cyber Programme as well as on the implementation of the Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR).

Minister Luik and Chief Executive Domecq also discussed the preparations for CYBRID 2017, a strategic level table-top cyber exercise which Estonia, as the current holder of the EU Presidency, and the EDA will co-organize on 7 September, in the margins of the informal Defence Ministers meeting in Tallinn. The scope of the exercise will be crisis response in the context of a major cyber campaign against the EU military structures in a hybrid warfare context.

For underwater applications, laser based technologies offer a complementary solution to existing sensors (sonar) for the detection and identification of underwater targets, particularly in shallow waters or in complex marine terrain such as archipelagos with numerous small islands, narrow sounds and inaccessible locations.

This is the main result of a study commissioned by the European Defence Agency (EDA) and conducted by a consortium consisting of FOI, the Swedish Defence research Agency, and ISL, the French-German Research Institute of Saint-Louis.

The study details the use of laser systems - both LIDAR-based (Light Detection and Ranging, a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges) and LADAR-based (LAser Detection And Ranging) - and indicates that their successful incorporation into existing detection and identification technologies for underwater targets in difficult operating conditions, such as those found in the Baltic Sea, can have a significant and positive impact on performance, particularly for rapid detection and identification.

Laser systems can deliver operational improvements as compared to sonar systems: airborne laser scanning, for instance, can be deployed extremely quickly in order to detect, locate and track underwater or floating objects. It is also possible for airborne laser scanning to identify the types of targets, provided that the target is large enough. Once a target is detected it is then possible to quickly deploy a surface or underwater vessel equipped with a Laser Gated Viewing (LGV) or Underwater Laser Scanning (ULS) system to positively identify confirm the target information.

The study concluded that laser based technologies are a viable and complementary solution for acoustic sensor systems, even in turbid waters or in waters with high organic content, such as shallow regions or archipelagos found in the Baltic Sea.

In order to analyse the performance of these technologies, three scenarios were defined: (1) Maritime mine identification, (2) Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and submarines detection and (3) Rapid environmental assessment (REA).

The study used modelling techniques along with systems knowledge to assess the performance of laser baser underwater systems. In order to assess the performance of the systems in the defined scenarios and tasks, the conditions and systems were simulated.

The task to detect and identify underwater targets has traditionally been undertaken by sonar based systems, particularly in open water conditions and in waters with significant depths. However, there are situations where sonar-based systems could be assisted by complementary technology in order to achieve improved performance. Examples of such operating conditions are relatively shallow waters where sonars ships cannot operate and complex marine terrain such as coastlines with archipelagos numerous small islands, narrow sounds and inaccessible locations.

The Baltic Sea, due to its high level of turbidity in coastal regions is one such area that is particularly challenging for the detection of underwater targets using laser based sensors. The occurrence of organic matter such as algae and the effect of sediment transport in the water column coupled with the seasonal optical attenuation contribute to difficulties in detecting underwater targets.

• CapTech Maritime (EDA project page)
• Maritime Surveillance (MARSUR) - EDA project page
• MARSUR put to the test during live demonstration at OHQ EUNAVFOR MED SOPHIA (EDA webnews, May 2017)

The European Defence Agency (EDA) has developed a software tool to help the J1 (personnel) branch of EU headquarters manage the in-processing and out-processing of personnel at all phases of a CSDP operation.  This tool has recently been used at the annual Air Centric Personnel Recovery Operatives Course (APROC). 500 participants from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, the UK as well as the US attended the course which included academic classes as well as flying sessions, involving fixed wing, rotary wing asset crews as well as Extraction Forces (EF) as the primary training audience.

First demonstrated in 2012, the Agency’s J1 FAS (J1 Functional Area Service) tool allows accurate and fast in-processing of personnel coming from different Member States. Staff can access the J1 FAS via a protected internet link before they deploy and provide the HQ with all the data they need to enable speedy integration within the HQ. J1 FAS also allows important management information to be synthesised from the database. After a trial phase in 2016, the tool has been used at the Operation Headquarters of EUNAVFOR MED operation Sophia. The J1 FAS is also currently under evaluation in an Operational Field Trial within the EU Training Mission in Mali (EUTM Mali).

The J1 FAS was used during the Air Centric Personnel Recovery Operative Course (APROC) organised by the European Personnel Recovery Centre (EPRC) to support the two-day in-processing of the 500 participants. The J1 FAS reduced dramatically queues and waiting time for the participants arrived at the course venue in large groups. The tool demonstrated its ability to support effectively large scale events like the APROC.

The European Personnel Recovery Centre (EPRC) organises the Air Centric Personnel Recovery Operatives Course (APROC) on an annual basis. The objective of the Course is to educate and train personnel on the planning and conduction of complex missions based on Personnel Recovery (PR) scenarios in which various types of means and various nations are involved. More experienced pilots are trained in the role of Rescue Mission Commander (RMC), allowing them to learn to lead the planning and the execution of complex PR missions, to provide briefings and debriefings regarding the missions to the benefit of the task forces employed and the commanders. Finally, among other objectives, the Course also aims at educating the Extraction Forces to the application of the standards envisaged for the recovery of the Isolated Personnel (ISOP) and to provide the medical assistance required. 

• J1 FAS factsheet
• Support to operations

In line with defence R&T priorities identified within its CapTechs, the European Defence Agency has successfully supported a Polish small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) to access EU funding from the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) for a 2 million euro project dealing with tropospheric radio-wave propagation to extend the range of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) operations. (picture: Airbus DS)

Following an EDA procedure inviting Member States’ Ministries of Defence to identify and propose R&T projects, which EDA could support in view of receiving ESIF funding, the Polish Ministry of Defence submitted this project to EDA. The project holder, an SME, has been awarded the full amount it had applied for, namely two-third of the total project cost.

This is already the fifth EDA-supported R&T project funded by ESIF.

EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq welcomed the fact that all five EDA-supported R&T projects funded by ESIF are led by SMEs, in line with the European Council’s call to all relevant actors to work on fostering investments in defence supply-chains, with a particular focus on SMEs.

Within this scope, EDA has recently:

• launched a free-of-charge assistance process focusing on access to the second main fund among ESIF, the European Social Fund (ESF), in support of key skills and competencies for defence (KSC). Under this procedure [“ESF4KSC”], MoDs may forward to EDA (by the 18th of September 2017) KSC-related projects collected nationally from stakeholders;
• published an EDA’s “ESIF web-platform” to provide any potential defence-related stakeholder (e.g. MoDs, industry, research-and-technology organisations, academia, clusters) with an interactive mapping on ‘sources’ of regional, national and transnational calls for proposals under Structural Funds as well as respective contact details of ESIF managing authorities in charge for funding allocation.

With EDA’s support, defence-related technology domains benefitting from ESIF so far include energy, naval, robotics, components and modules, radio-frequency sensors, aerial, advanced materials and structures, communication Information Systems. Therefore, EDA’s work has proved that ESIF is a relevant opportunity for both defence industry and RTOs, additionally to the budget earmarked for defence.

EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq stated: “EDA will continue to act as a facilitator to exploit wider EU policies for the benefit of defence and, based on Member States’ prioritisation, to recommend the allocation of EU funding to projects and programmes”.

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

EDA's CapTech Materials & Structures recently organised a workshop on “Smart textiles in defence” at AITIIP Technological Centre in Zaragoza (Spain). It gathered 27 experts from various European Ministries of Defence, industry, SMEs and academia related to this technology domain. The objectives were to raise awareness and better understand the potential of smart textiles and discuss the impact of these technologies on future defence capabilities. 

Today, efforts in this field are focused on the development of standards to define terms, definitions, technical specifications and requirements for smart textiles. Future trends include multi-functionalities to make the soldier lighter, safer, and smarter. Specifically the main trends include the monitoring of the well-being, health status and protection of the soldier, including adaptive camouflage and reducing the weight. Given the interest of the smart textiles for different applications, highlighted in the Materials Strategic Research Agenda (SRA), this workshop sought to gather experts in related fields to discuss future research directions within Europe, when applying this kind of materials to defence systems.

The workshop brought forward multiple success stories of smart textiles used in different defence applications with functions such as: thermal control, moisture control, UV protection, functional bactericidal and self-cleaning. Ongoing activities and projects were presented by EDA and organizations from Member States showing the increasing interest and potential of smart textiles for enhancing soldier systems. Among the most targeted research areas were shown to be: durability, thermal comfort,  adaptive camouflage, measurement and communication sensors, energy harvesting and recovery, modelling and simulation tools and new materials such as graphene or bio-composites. 

The discussion also addressed manufacturing and commercialization of smart textiles, recognizing the growing market and opportunities stemming from the technological developments taking place in the civilian sector. Furthermore, the certification and standardization aspects were highlighted with particular attention paid to ensuring product quality and development of legislation.  

The main outcome of the workshop was the identification of the areas for cooperation at EU level, especially in terms of identifying and testing the available systems, and several proposals were put forward for in-depth study and future activities. Another conclusion of the workshop included the need of shaping future priorities and defining stages toward the goal of achieving multifunction soldier uniforms. 

The workshop was followed by the 37th meeting of the CapTech Materials & Structures held in the research centre ITAInnova on 31 May and 1 June. The meeting focused on the review of the CapTech’s current activities and on the discussion about future actions and upcoming opportunities. The efforts of the CapTech were further acknowledged with the occasion of the visit to the EDA Additive Manufacturing facility deployed in the Zaragoza Airbase. The successful deployment of a 3D-printing lab for the duration of EAATTC 17-3 represents the main focus of EDA’s ground-breaking project, “Additive Manufacturing Feasibility Study & Technology Demonstration”. The deployment underscored the strong interest and potential of AM technologies across all military branches (pilots, maintenance, technicians and logistic support), who were keen to learn how 3D-printing could benefit their area of expertise. The success of this showcasing has significantly contributed to raising awareness on the operational application of these technologies and on the potential synergistic effects of undertaking European defence R&T activities. 

The workshop and the Materials CapTech meeting was co-organized by EDA’s CapTechs Materials & Structures, Land Systems and CBRN & Human Factors, and the Research and Technology Organizations CITEVE, AITEX, ITAInnova and the Spanish MoD.

• For further information, please contact CapTech.Materials@eda.europa.eu 
• CapTech Materials & Structures
• CapTech Ground Systems
• CapTech CBRN and Human Factors
• EDA Research & Technology
• European Defence Agency Role in Research & Technology - Towards Enhanced European Future Military Capabilities
• Combat Equipment for Dismounted Soldier Feasibility Study Programme (CEDS FSP)
• Future Soldier Systems
• CBRN Joint Investment Programme
• EDA Web news on Survey: EDA consultation to identify impact of 3D-printing technologies in defence
• EDA web news on AM Exhibition: Exploring Additive Manufacturing impact in Defence capabilities, 12 September 2017
• EDA Web News on the AM Deployment: Successful test flight for EDA 3D-printing lab during deployment at EAATTC 17-3

The European Defence Agency (EDA) recently published a contract notice on its Contractor Support to Operations (CSO) platform for Role 2 Medical Support Services to European Union Training Mission in Somalia (EUTM-S).

Procuring specific services such as Role 2 Medical Support or customised assets can be challenging especially on short notice. EDA assists EU military operations in fulfilling their needs for complex goods or services (e.g. armoured vehicles, air to ground surveillance, medical services ) through the CSO platform. A powerful tool for interaction, the CSO platform helps to connect economic operators and procurement authorities. Economic operators are invited to subscribe to the platform database to receive regular updates on business opportunities from EU-led operations or other governmental and institutional authorities.

EUTM-S is currently seeking for Role 2 medical care services to cover the region of Mogadishu. Medical care support is categorised into four roles that identify the functions and the capabilities of a medical unit or element. Most of the care capabilities of each role are subordinates to the next higher role. In general a Role 2  as medical care support is characterised by its ability to perform surgical interventions, including damage control  surgery and  surgical  procedures  for  emergency  surgical  cases,  to  deliver  life,  limb  and  function  saving  medical  treatment and to perform reception / triage of casualties.

The full contract notice, as well as another contract notice from EUFOR Althea HQ in Bosnia and Herzegovina for food, water and catering supply, can be found on the CSO Platform which constitutes the one-stop-shop for EDA contractor support to operations:

http://cso.eda.europa.eu/Pages/BusinessOpportunities.aspx.

Since the creation of the European Defence Agency in 2004, support to the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) and to EU operations has been part of EDA's core mission. Procurement of contracted solutions has become increasingly relevant for EU military operations not only to fill capability gaps in the force generation process, but also as a general planned support for ongoing operations.

Several activities are ongoing in support of CSDP military and civilian operations or missions as well as EU Battlegroups at the request of Member States, such as  the provision of satellite communication, the use of EDA-developed projects, and the testing of EDA-funded demonstrators, and soon in-theatre aeromedical evacuation services.

Copyright picture: Bundeswehr/Jane Schmidt

• Support to operations project page
• News: "EDA signs cooperation arrangement with Athena" (2 March 2015)
• CSO platform (password required)

Order to be placed by NSPA through OCCAR under EDA initiative

Germany and Norway officially joined the European/NATO program to acquire Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport aircraft along with Netherlands and Luxembourg.

The two nations committed to participating in the project through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding at NATO HQ in Brussels today.

Known as the Multinational Multi-Role Tanker Transport Fleet (MMF) the programme was initiated by the European Defence Agency (EDA) in 2012. Europe’s organization for the management of cooperative armament programmes - OCCAR - manages the MMF acquisition phase as Contract Executing Agent on behalf of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA). Following the acquisition phase, NSPA will be responsible for the complete life-cycle management of the fleet.

The Programme is funded by the four nations 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 and cargo, and medical evacuation flights. The first two aircraft have already been ordered to be delivered from Airbus Defence and Space’s tanker conversion line at Getafe near Madrid in 2020. Five additional aircraft will now be ordered, and that order will include options for up to four further aircraft.

NSPA GM, Peter Dohmen said “As NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency, we are proud to be a key enabler of this critical project to help European nations meet their air transport and refuelling requirements. The successful cooperation in this project - bringing together all our capabilities - bodes extremely well for further future NATO / EU collaboration.”

OCCAR Director, Arturo Alfonso-Meiriño said: “The MMF programme has broken new ground in bringing together the combined capabilities of the EDA, NSPA and OCCAR as one team, with each organisation working within its particular sphere of expertise. I very much welcome that this important initiative has now attracted additional partners to join, and it still includes options for the participation of even more countries.”

EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq said: “The MMF is a prime example of European defence cooperation which shows that once a capability shortfall has been jointly identified, European nations can pull together, work on a common project aimed at filling the gap, and eventually deliver. It’s Pooling & Sharing at its best”.

Airbus Defence and Space Head of Military Aircraft Fernando Alonso said: “The A330 MRTT has established itself firmly as the world’s premier tanker/transport aircraft. It is extremely satisfying to now see it adopted as the core asset of one of Europe’s most important cooperative defence programmes. We hope that this collaborative approach will serve as a model for future joint procurements.”

• Airbus Defence and Space:
  Kieran Daly +34 689 669 661 kieran.daly@airbus.com
• European Defence Agency:
  Helmut Brüls +32 47 35 63 964  helmut.bruls@eda.europa.eu
• OCCAR:
  Falko Fanslau +49 22 85 50 21 16 falko.fanslau@occar.int
• NATO Support and Procurement Agency:
  Karen Tissot Van Patot +352 30 63 65 57 karen.tissotvanpatot@nspa.nato.int