EDA News

After two intense months of training, the 4th EDA Helicopter Tactics Instructors Course (HTIC), which had kicked off mid-August at RAF Linton-on-Ouse in the North of England, was officially completed on 9 October at Vidsel Airbase in Northern Sweden.

Involving helicopters and aircrew from Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom and Austria, the course was branded by experienced participants as the ‘most challenging yet’ in terms of adverse weather conditions, aircraft unserviceability and a particularly intense flying programme. Ten instructors managed to graduate with a Silver and eight with a Bronze Level; they are now fully ready and prepared to complete the course in 2017.

After threat briefs and lectures from Air Battle Space Management, the course started with a simulation phase covering all aspects of tactical formation, evasion training and electronic warfare. It culminated in a complex simulated sortie requiring detailed planning and the ability to complete a task in a hostile and contested environment. All trainees reached the required standard that allowed them to move on to the next level: the live flying phase which took place in the Vidsel Test range in Northern Sweden.

During that live flying training in Sweden, HTIC staff was complemented by operations & logistics staff from the Swedish Air Force as well as from the UK. Having such a strong team proved vital in the two weeks that followed when course participants had to cope with very poor weather conditions, unserviceable aircraft and sick aircrew. Despite the flying programme changing constantly, the high degree of flexibility provided by the team made it possible that sorties were still manageable and successfully achieved under testing conditions.

When the weather started to improve, participants had to conduct two sorties every day to make up the delay caused by the earlier bad weather. Most sorties were completed to a satisfactory level meaning that all participants were allowed to move ahead to the Composite Air Operations (COMAO) phase which all completed successfully.

 

More information:

• Third Helicopter Tactics Instructors Course successfully accomplished (webnews, November 2015)
• Helicopter Initiatives (EDA project page)

 

EDA National Armaments Directors (NADs) met on 19 October at the European Defence Agency for their biannual Steering Board meeting under the chairmanship of Czech Deputy Minister of Defence, Daniel Kostoval.

EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq updated NADs on progress made in key defence-related dossiers, including the EU Global Strategy Implementation Plan on European Security and Defence, the Policy Framework for Systematic and Long-Term Defence Cooperation, the Pilot Project on defence research, the Preparatory Action on CSDP-related research as well as the EDA strategic review process.

Lead nations also briefed participants on the status of the four key capability programmes: Air-to-Air Refuelling (AAR), cyber defence, GovSatCom, and RPAS.

NADs then discussed a wide variety of topics, including industry involvement in defence cooperation, the Collaborative Database (CODABA), the ongoing work on the setting up of a Cooperative Financial Mechanism, energy and environmental implications for the defence sector and EDA-Nato cooperation.  

EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq today (18 October) visited the Euronaval exhibition in Paris where he had a range of bilateral meetings with industry leaders. He also participated in a panel discussion organized by GICAN (Groupement des Industries de Construction et Activités Navales) on the “The future of naval warfare: high-end operations”.

In his panel intervention, Mr Domecq called for more cooperation between Member States on European programs and the development of the next generation of platforms.
“The current scattered approach is ultimately putting at risk the very survival of our naval industry (…) European navies operate 20 different types of frigate, four different types of aircraft carrier, and multiple types of support ships and MCM Vessels. This situation is no longer affordable”, he said.

“There is no need to develop a ‘one size fits all’ solution. But we do need a full, frank, fair and mutual analysis of common gaps, common requirements and respective investments made at national and multinational level by Member States, including on high-end capabilities”, the EDA Chief said.

He called on Member States that face similar regional or procurement challenges to agree on common platforms with an open architecture approach for subsystems. “And I would like to encourage industrial stakeholders not to be afraid about competition nor about possible European consolidation”, he stated.

 

EDA tools available

Tools developed within EDA like the Collaborative Database are unique instruments to identify the business case for cooperative capability developments.

45 collaborative opportunities for naval platforms have already been identified such as ‘surface combatants’, ‘submarines’, ‘maritime patrol vessels’ or ‘auxiliary ships for logistics support’ but also specific naval assets such as ‘maritime patrol aircraft’ and ‘naval helicopters’ or capabilities like ‘naval radars’, ‘sonars’, ‘naval air and missile defence’ and ‘ship protection’.

In particular, the capability of replenishment at sea and logistic support are essential. Many of the Member States share a common need for improved endurance at sea. “Applying a model like the European Air Transport Command (ETAC) can be of interest”, Mr Domecq said.

 

Increased R&T needed

Mr Domecq also said that European naval forces have probably never been confronted with security challenges as big as today, ranging from territorial protection to dealing with refugee crises and combatting criminal trafficking networks in the Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea.

He recalled that the recent EU Global Strategy explicitly highlights the importance of maritime security which will also be part of the upcoming revision of the Capability Development Plan (CDP) for which the EDA will seek a mandate by Defence Ministers in November.

Regarding the CDP revision, Mr Domecq insisted on the need to ensure strong interaction between the naval industry and research and technologies (R&T) community. “These efforts have to lead to an increased R&T commitment, either on an intergovernmental level through the European Defence Agency or on the basis of the future Preparatory Action and the European Defence Research Programme (EDRP). It’s paramount that we push ahead with innovation on disruptive technologies”, the EDA Chief Executive said.

 

More information:

• EU naval industry in good shape but more R&T investment needed, study says (EDA webnews, October 2016)
• Unmanned Maritime Systems Conference (EDA webnews November 2015)
• Unmanned Maritime Systems (UMS) research (EDA project page)
• Key Industrial Capabilities - Naval Domain (EDA project page)

The EDA is now inviting participants to the third conference of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS) which will take place from 22-24 November in Rome (Italy).

Building on the progress made during the previous conferences, experts from national administrations, industry and academia are encouraged to continue to work in three parallel working groups: (1) Energy Management, (2) Energy Efficiency focusing on buildings, and (3) Renewable Energy.

The Conference will take place in the Hotel Roma Aurelia Antica, Rome.

Registration is open until 06 November 2016. After which, registration will be permitted for conference attendance, but accommodation at the conference facility may not be available.

For more information and registration, please click here.

 

Background

• Second meeting of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in Defence opens in Dublin (EDA webnews June 2016)
• Energy and Environment Programme (EDA project page)

 

 

On 17 October, the Protection of Critical Energy Infrastructures (PCEI) expert group, established in May of this year, met at the EDA under the chairmanship of the Hellenic Ministry of National Defence. The Ministries of Defence (MoDs) of Cyprus and Greece offered to take the lead on this project within the framework of the EDA.

Colonel Georgios Drosos, Head of the Infrastructure & Environment Department of the Hellenic MoD, was appointed as the group chairman. He stressed that the group’s main objective was “to assess how EU legislation on the Protection of European Critical Energy Infrastructure can be applied by the defence sector in a holistic way”.

Each and every part of defence critical infrastructure needs to be protected appropriately to ensure that the overall energy supply chain can function properly. As Colonel Drosos said, maintaining and improving regional energy security and sustainability within the EU will contribute to achieving this goal. The expert group’s chairman also stressed that possible shortfalls can be addressed by developing “projects of common interest for the defence sector”.

 

Collaboration between defence and research

To promote joint efforts and scientific collaboration between the defence sector and the research community, Professor Athanasios Konstandopoulos, chairman of the board of the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH) was appointed as the co-chairman of the group. Professor Konstandopoulos pointed out that “the task of securing Energy Strategic Autonomy in a highly connected world presents challenges and creates opportunities for strengthening collaboration between the research community and the defence sector”. He called on stakeholders “to face the challenges and exploit the opportunities.”

To accomplish its goals, the PCEI expert group will use the expertise of EDA Member States’ Ministries of Defence, national academic and research centres as well as EDA’s partners: the European Commission DG ENERGY, Joint Research Centre, and the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence.

Air Commodore Peter Round, EDA Capability Armaments and Technology (CAT) Director, stated that “EDA aims through the PCEI Experts Group to identify common capability and research shortfalls and to address them collectively to help to achieve resilience of Armed Forces in Europe.”

Denis Roger, EDA European Synergies and Innovation (ESI) Director, emphasized that “in times of crises, it is imperative to ensure the continued availability of secure and sustainable energy supplies and we are glad that EDA can contribute to this vital work by exploring the defence element of critical energy infrastructure.”

The PCEI expert group is supported within EDA at an inter-directorate level (CAT and ESI) by CAT Project Officer Protect, Constantinos Hadjisavvas, and ESI Project Officer Energy and Environment Systems, Richard Brewin.

 

Way Ahead

The next PCEI experts group meetings will be hosted by Cyprus in January 2017 and by Greece in March 2017. The meetings will be open to all the participating Member States of the Agency, the Agency’s partners as well as other international organisations.

 

Background

Securing Energy Strategic Autonomy for European Defence (SESAED) is becoming more vital than ever for national and international security and economic prosperity due to the increased number of terrorist attacks, and the emerging threats from hybrid and asymmetrical warfare as well as vulnerability to the impacts of climate change and natural hazards across Europe.

Hence, Protection of Critical Energy Infrastructures was identified as one of the component areas to be examined as part of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS) which was jointly launched by the European Defence Agency (EDA) and the European Commission in October 2015.

In May 2016, the PCEI Experts Group was established to explore PCEI further from a defence point of view. The Cypriot and the Hellenic Ministries of Defence (MoDs) offered to take the lead on this project within the framework of EDA. In this effort academic and research support is provided by the KIOS Research Center, the Cyprus University of Technology, the European University Cyprus, the Centre for Research & Technology, Hellas CERTH and the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA).

 

More information :

• Energy and Environment Programme (EDA project page)
• Second meeting of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in Defence opens in Dublin (EDA webnews)

Francisco González Mené and Dušan Švarc, EDA's two recently appointed SME Senior Advisers, participated in their first Member States’ SME Point of Contacts (PoCs) meeting this Thursday 13 October at the Agency premises in Brussels.

The meeting was mainly devoted to taking stock of the implementation of the 2016 priorities of the EDA SME Action Plan and the results of the EDA exploratory study on SMEs. Participants also discussed the progress report on the implementation of the ‘Guidelines for facilitating SME’s access to the defence market’ and EDA future work to support SMEs accessing COSME opportunities.

Both advisors expressed satisfaction about the outcome of their first SME PoCs meeting. "I was impressed by the hands on approach taken by EDA to provide concrete and practical support to defence-related SMEs so that they can access EU funding", said Dušan Švarc. In his view, "the key for EDA's future work in this domain will be to simplify ways, means and procedures for SMEs to benefit from EU funding and other forms of support". Francisco González Mené said he appreciated the increasing role played by the EDA in supporting the development of defence-related SMEs.

It was agreed that at the next SME PoCs network meeting scheduled for spring 2017, the two EDA SME Advisors would share with the group first ideas on how to support defence-related SMEs even better in the future.

 

Exploring new ideas and initiatives in support of SME

The appointment of the two SME Senior Advisers was identified in the EDA SME Action Plan, approved by the March 2013 Steering Board, as one of many means to promote defence-related SMEs. Following a call for expression of interest and a selection process, Mr Francisco González Mené (Spanish) and Mr Dušan Švarc (Czech) were appointed in summer 2016.

Their main role is to provide strategic advice and support to the EDA top management on policies and actions regarding defence-related SMEs/clusters and to identify new potential ideas and concrete initiatives in support of the defence-related SMEs. Their mandate also included the assessment of ongoing EDA initiatives.

 

More information:

• CV of Mr Francisco González Mené
• CV of Mr Dušan Švarc
• EDA launches COSME platform for dual-use & defence SMEs
• 3 out of 3: another EDA supported dual-use R&T project is awarded ESIF funding
• Access to EU funding (EDA project page)
• First meeting with EDA SME Senior Advisers
• EDA and Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) cooperation yields first concrete results

Goods news from our shipyards: EU manufacturers of military vessels and submarines are doing well, especially on international markets where exports are booming. No reason though for the industry to rest on its laurels as it urgently needs to invest in research & technology (R&T) if it wants to stay at the top, as a recent study commissioned by the European Defence Agency (EDA) shows.

This article appeared in the EDA's European Defence Matters
magazine issue 11

Despite difficult conditions on a growingly turbulent global naval market – mainly caused by rising exports from Chinese, Russian and South Korean shipyards - Europe’s naval industry has managed to maintain its position as a highly competitive global player if not a world leader, notably thanks to its technological edge and strong exports, the EDA-commissioned “Study on Industrial and Technological Competences in the Naval Sector” concludes.

The study, which was carried out by a consortium in 2015 and early 2016 (see box below), confirms that European naval industries are very strong in their respective domestic European markets - but also in international markets such as the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America which all devote growing budgets to defence and often have no meaningful indigenous naval industry. Also due to decreasing defence budgets in Europe (at least over the past decade, whereas the trend has now started to reverse), export markets nowadays account for 42% of the European naval order book value.

 

Healthy successful industrial base, but...

Another positive characteristic of the European naval industry, according to the study, is its ability to design, integrate and produce the whole range of naval ships and almost the totality of its core systems and components. “Considering the complexity and sophistication of the products designed and built by these companies, they can be regarded as ‘system integrators’, dismissing once forever the old image of shipbuilders as mere assemblers of steel blocks”, it says.
The European naval industry’s supply chain is also considered both diverse and complete with no area in which a monopoly exists. Most importantly (with regard to Europe’s strategic autonomy in defence) there are European alternative suppliers and replacement options in place for all systems/components currently procured from outside Europe.

Business diversification is another trump card played by the European naval industry. The majority of the naval players are also successful players in the high-end segments of merchant shipbuilding (e.g. cruise ships and mega-yachts) and in the related maritime activities (e.g. offshore and marine renewable energies). “This diversification strategy has created a favourable cross-fertilization between civil and military technologies (dual-use technologies), both at the Prime Contractors and at the Supply-Chain levels, leading to cost-effective designs and solutions”, the study says.

The study’s overall conclusion could hardly be more encouraging: “The European Naval Industrial Base today is made up of healthy, capable, diversified and successful export-oriented companies”.

 

… more R&T investments needed

However, all forecasts in the study are not entirely rosy. The study also warns that some threats stemming from non-European competitors are on the horizon such as fierce price competition from non-EU countries, especially China, South Korea and Russia. Countries which very actively support their naval industries “as an act both of foreign and industrial policy”.

According to the study, the best way to counter this threat is by maintaining Europe’s technological lead at the Prime/System Integrators level as well as across the full supply chain “through increased, more supported, more coordinated and more focused investments in Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) at national and European level”. In order to increase intra-EU cooperation in the naval defence and security domain, a dedicated area for naval related research should be secured within the next multi-annual Framework for Research, Development and Innovation starting in 2021, the study recommends: “This is essential to the long-term sustainability of the European naval industry”.

The European Commission’s upcoming Preparatory Action (PA) on defence-related research and the Defence Action Plan (scheduled for later this year) could also play a key role as political frameworks to increase the resources devoted to defence research activities, including in the naval domain, the study concludes. “Here, a distinct role of overall coordinator is foreseen and advocated for the EDA”, it says. The study also pleads for a regular exchange of ideas between the EDA and the major players in the naval shipbuilding sector in order to better coordinate and integrate the objectives of the future R&T programmes in this field.

Finally, the study has also led to a list of technologies considered of “primary importance” both to maintain the European competitiveness and technological lead and to ensure the required level of operational superiority. In total 13 high priority topics and 4 new items were identified.

The high priority list includes surface technologies topics (virtual ships, simulation, maintenance, oceanography, environmental protection, supply & support), subsea technologies (hydrodynamics and UxV integration, modularity, UxV integration, vulnerability reduction, propulsor) as well as services and transversal technologies (uninhabited systems, propulsor & propellers).

The identified new R&T topics to be focussed on in the future are 3D printing, high capacity batteries, augmented reality and drones.

 

About the study:

With the adoption of the EU Maritime Security Strategy in 2014 which also encompasses defence-related aspects through its CSDP dimension, the maritime domain has gained renewed focus at EU level. The ability for European nations to implement such a strategy will depend on both the availability of required capabilities for both civilian missions and military operations, and the existence of a competent and competitive naval industrial base. Therefore, in 2015, the EDA commissioned this study – which was conducted by a consortium of Sea Europe (lead partner), Damen, DCNS, Fincantieri, Navantia and TKMS - to acquire a comprehensive picture of the European Naval Technological and Industrial base and its technological priorities.

 

More information:

• Unmanned Maritime Systems (UMS) research (EDA project page)
• Maritime Mine Counter Measures - New Generation (EDA project page)
• Modular Lightweight Minesweeping (EDA project page)

Hosted by the National Aviation Authority of Portugal (Autoridade Aeronáutica Nacional, AAN), the Annual Military Airworthiness Conference kicked off in Lisbon this Wednesday with keynote speeches delivered by EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq and General Manuel Teixeira Rolo of AAN.

The two-day event (5/6 October) brings together key stakeholders from national authorities, industry, European agencies, NATO and international organisations for presentations and discussions on a variety of topics related to harmonization of military airworthiness requirements , implementation experiences and integration into a global context.

In his speech, Mr Domecq stressed that standardisation, including in the area of airworthiness requirements, was a "key enabler" for the implementation of the EU Global Strategy. "The application of common standards and recommended best practice is a key enabler for defence cooperation and helps strengthen the European Defence Technological and Industrial base. Most importantly, from a defence perspective, such standardisation would support effective cooperation and improve interoperability", he said. 

He also recalled that since the establishment of the Military Airworthiness Authorities (MAWA) Forum, a lot of work has been done particularly in the area of European Military Airworthiness Requirements, the EMARs. “With the EMARs that are now developed, nations have created a baseline for a common approach to processes like certification, organisational approvals and the preservation of airworthiness”. However, “a real common approach can only be established if EMARs are also implemented in a uniform way, which is a national responsibility of the Member States”, he stressed.

Based on an earlier EDA funded study by Eurocopter, it is estimated that the adoption by Member States of optimised and harmonised military airworthiness regulations through the European Military Airworthiness Requirements would deliver a reduction of up to 50% of the development time and at least 10% of development costs up to initial-type certification. Significant further cost savings could also be achieved during the in-service phase.
 

Positive trend

Currently, the status of implementation of the EMARs varies from nation to nation, and at this stage the application is still mostly limited to some multinational aircraft programmes like A400M. “That said, there are signs that things are moving in the right direction. For example, NAHEMA has decided to use EMARs for the certification framework of its NH90 programme. And the participating nations in the MRTT programme will make use of the EMARs to benefit from a common approach”, Mr Domecq said. In the next years, the focus should be on the standardisation of how the Member States ensure and preserve their military airworthiness, Mr Domecq said.

The ultimate outcome Member States should aim for, he said, should include:

1. a single certification approach for multinational programmes, which would result in less development costs and optimised use of certification resources;

2. the development and application of common agreed industrial standards which would strengthen the position of the European defence industry in the global market;

3. optimised pooling and sharing of spare parts and maintenance resources within a single regulatory and oversight system (of key interest in relation to civil-derivative aircraft, but also with regard to military platforms such as A400M, Eurofighter, NH90 and others);

4. optimised use of oversight resources by collaboration in oversight obligations;

5. minimised gaps or differences between national regulatory and oversight systems, which would in turn minimise safety risks in multinational materiel cooperation programmes.

 

More information:

• EDA project page on European Military Airworthiness Authorities Forum (MAWA)
• MAWA Annual Conference 2015 

EDA’s Personnel Recovery Functional Area Service Advanced Technology Demonstrator (PR FAS ATD), a sophisticated information management and Command & Control (C2) tool recently developed within the European Defence Agency to increase the efficiency of personnel recovery actions during military operations and missions, has now started being used by Member States in national PR courses.

Poland broke the first ground with two national Personnel Recovery (PR) courses, one in May and the most recent one from 12-23 September at the National Defence University in Rembertów in which the PR FAS ATD was successfully deployed and used. Organised on a regular basis by the Personnel Recovery Branch of the Polish Armed Forces Operational Command (AFOC), these courses aim at familiarising Polish military staff with PR. More than 60 students were trained on how to collect information and plan the recovery of isolated personnel in challenging and realistic scenarios. EDA facilitated the on-site training of users and provided information and technical support. The demonstrator almost completely replaced the usual ‘table-top’ exercise.
 

Easy to handle

After the courses, students agreed that the demonstrator was easy to use and intuitive. They especially praised its accuracy and considered it an important step in the delivery of PR education and training. “I believe that PR FAS ATD is a very handy tool for exercise purposes and I liked using it” said Major Robert Kietliński, one of the trainees. “Although it is just a technical demonstrator, I can see its potential benefits for real-life missions”.

Lt. Col. Zbigniew Zblewski, the chief of the Polish Armed Forces Operational Command Personnel Recovery Branch, welcomed the new possibilities offered by the demonstrator as a “significant leap forward” in PR training. According to him, “it is time to use the demonstrator on a much wider scale and to introduce it to more students”. “Every piece of available information that matters for PR is centralized in a single tool, everything is stored within the system which is very convenient for students and future controllers alike”, he commented.

The National Defense University in Rembertów was also engaged in the project; its representatives noted that “PR FAS ATD is an important step towards modernizing Personnel Recovery and unifying this field of knowledge within the Polish Armed Forces”. Moreover, an evaluation of the course results showed that students with varying degrees of knowledge of PR consistently found the system to be user friendly and comprehensive; they also concluded that it had improved their knowledge of PR significantly.
 

Demonstrator ready for other deployments

PR FAS ATD is the latest operational output developed in the context of the EDA’s Project Team Personnel Recovery. The tool supports planners and controllers with a number of functionalities and improved situational awareness. While it is usually possible to use the demonstrator through a standard PR FAS physical workstation, an internet-based (on-line) solution was chosen for the Polish course with the connection of six different computers each running an independent system.

EDA has distributed the tool to all its participating Member States (pMS), the European Union Military Staff (EUMS) and the European Personnel Recovery Centre (EPRC). The Capability, Armament & Technology Director, Air Commodore Peter Round, underscored that” the EDA is always ready to provide deployment support and training”. The Agency is also working to address the various aspects of the through-life management of the tool to ensure its operational functionality in the long-term. “An important objective of the EDA is to support member states in the development of the capabilities required to effectively recover isolated personnel and save lives”, Pete Round stated.

 

More information:

• Polish MoD link to PR course
• EDA Personnel Recovery project page
• Hungary hosted EDA Personnel Recovery course (June 2016)

 

EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq held talks today (3 October) in Bucharest with Romanian Minister of Defence Mihnea Ioan Motoc. Romania’s participation in EDA projects, the Security & Defence Implementation Plan of the EU Global Strategy and the European Commission’s upcoming European Defence Action Plan were among the main topics on the agenda.

During the meeting, Mr Domecq welcomed Romania’s involvement in EDA projects and activities, for example: EU Satcom Market, the Joint Deployable Exploitation and Analysis Laboratory (JDEAL) project and the European Air Transport Fleet (EATF) programme. Romania was also the first contributing Member States to join the EDA’s ‘Sharing of Spare Parts’ project which allows it today to share military spare parts with eight other Member States who have also joined. The EDA is currently also providing technical assistance to three Romanian dual-use research project proposals as candidates for co-funding by the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF).
The upcoming Preparatory Action for CSDP-related research, to be launched in 2017, as well as the planned future European Defence Research Programme will open many interesting R&T opportunities, also for Romania, it was stressed at the meeting.
Mr Domecq commended Minister Motoc for Romania’s overall support to EDA and encouraged further engagement in the Agency’s work in the future.
“In the light of Romania's 10 year development plan in which it committed to devote 2% of GDP for defence expenditure, EDA is ready to provide all the necessary support as effectively and efficiently as possible, making use of opportunities for cooperation and the EU tools available in support of defence”, Mr Domecq stated.

Tailored approach for CEE countries

Mr Domecq recalled that EDA takes into account the ‘diversity’ of the European Defence Industrial and Technological Base and that it supports the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries in the same way as it does the V4 or LoI countries.
Based on a specific CEE study which was commissioned by the EDA in 2015, the Agency is currently exploring a number of recommendations for providing more tailored expertise and support to CEE MoDs and industry, especially on defence industry policy and collaborative programmes.
As part of this effort, one idea is to try to identify a pilot collaborative programme which could be undertaken by interested CEE countries, enhancing interoperability among them. CEE countries are currently being consulted on these ideas. Mr Domecq encouraged Romania to participate and to take the lead in some areas.

Copyright picture: Romanian MoD

More information:

• EDA Chief Executive travels to Romania (EDA webnews April 2015)

On 30 September, EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq visited Greece for meetings with the Hellenic Minister of Defence, Panos Kammenos, the National Defence General Staff Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis HN, and other senior officials in the Ministries of National Defence and of Foreign Affairs. Mr Domecq also used the occasion for discussions with industry representatives.

Discussions with the Minister of Defence mainly focused on the implementation of the Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy which was published by the High Representative Federica Mogherini in June, with focus on EDA’s role on the implementation. The meeting also provided the opportunity to assess progress in a number of EDA projects in which Greece participates such as in the areas of maritime, energy efficiency, logistic support or cyber defence. Additionally, possible involvement in additional EDA initiatives were discussed.

This visit is a follow-up of meetings in Greece in spring 2015 and the Minister's visit to EDA last February.

Copyright picture: Greek MoD

More information:

• News "Jorge Domecq welcomes Greek Minister of Defence at EDA" (9 February 2016)
• News "EDA Chief Executive visits Athens" (22 April 2015)

 

A dual-use R&T project aimed at developing advanced lightweight impact resistant materials, proposed by a Portuguese consortium and supported by the European Defence Agency (EDA), has been awarded a € 830 000 funding under the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF). It is the first of 30 EDA supported projects to have fully completed the new ‘Request for Projects (RfP)’ procedure that EDA introduced in 2015 in order to maximise project chance to access ESIF. Under the previous procedure, two EDA supported research projects, one Portuguese and one Polish, were assessed by the competent ESIF Managing Authorities and both were successful already. This means that all three EDA supported dual-use R&T projects which have gone so far through the entire ESIF assessment process have been awarded funding – an exceptional 100% success rate!

The latest successful Portuguese project called “Advanced Lightweight Impact Resistant Materials, Components and Structures” (ALIR-MCS) aims at developing, within a 3-year timeframe, a new kind of composite material with high-impact resistance, for the production of components and structures. The objective is to make sure the new material can have both civilian applications (especially in the aeronautical sector) and defence applications, mainly in bulletproof equipment.

Of the total required investment (€ 1.21 million), ESIF will fund € 0.83 million (69%). Project leader is X AERO SYSTEMS, S.A., a Portuguese SME based in Vila Nova de Gaia, a municipality near Porto. The consortium is composed by a wide variety of stakeholders: INEGI- Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (a Research Centre), Critical Materials (another SME), the University of Aveiro as well as the Portuguese Ministry of Defence (Estado Maior Do Exército). Under EDA supported R&T projects, this is the first time that an MoD is directly funded by ESIF.

Since 2013, EDA has been providing technical assistance in order to improve the ESIF eligibility of dual-use R&T projects. The Portuguese ALIR-MCS project, which has now been granted funding, was first selected by EDA within the EDA’s ‘ESIF RfP’ process; it then received technical assistance to enhance and finalize its ESIF application, which proved to be successful.

EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq welcomed the third successful ESIF application in a row for EDA supported dual-use R&T projects. “It proves that with the right support and expertise of EDA, dual-use research projects, even proposed by small consortia led by SMEs, can access EU funding. It’s a great success that confirms there are funding opportunities for defence-related stakeholders available within the EU’s multiannual financial framework running till 2020, especially for SMEs with dual-use R&T projects”, Mr Domecq stated.

 

More information:

• EU funding opportunies (EDA project page)
• Dual-use research (EDA project page)
• Polish dual-use R&T project co-funded by ESIF (EDA news)
• New funding opportunity for dual-use research

 

In August 2016, the contract for a Definition Study of the European MALE RPAS (Medium Altitude Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft System) Programme was awarded by OCCAR to Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Dassault Aviation and Leonardo S.p.a.. The contract kick-off meeting chaired by OCCAR and involving the three companies as well as the programme Participating States was held on 6 September 2016 at Airbus premises in Manching/Germany.

The Definition Study Contract award marks the initial phase to deliver this important European capability. The MALE RPAS Programme will further develop and strengthen the European industrial expertise and skills in this essential technological area. OCCAR awarded the contract in the name of the four programme Participating States France, Germany, Italy and Spain. The three companies Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Dassault Aviation and Leonardo S.p.a. are working together as co-contractors to perform the Definition Study. OCCAR and the European Defence Agency (EDA) will cooperate in respect of air traffic insertion of MALE RPAS and the potential participation of other states in future phases of the programme.

“The EDA congratulates OCCAR, the four contributing Member States and the companies involved on this important step towards the development and delivery of a European MALE RPAS capability. This is a decisive step in the direction set by Heads of States and Government at the European Council in December 2013 to prepare the next generation of MALE RPAS in Europe. It is also a concrete example of the need to ensure the necessary European strategic autonomy as foreseen in the EU Global Strategy. The Agency will continue to support the programme building on the work already achieved”, said Jorge Domecq, EDA Chief Executive.

MALE RPAS will be a remotely piloted air system for Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions. The first step of the programme is a two-year definition study to define the baseline specifications/design for the future MALE RPAS. The definition study includes both a System Requirement Review (SRR) and a Preliminary Design Review (PDR). Air traffic integration and certification of the MALE RPAS is a key objective of the programme. Preparation for the potential next steps (development and production) will be part of the activities to be performed during the second year of the definition study. The entry into service of MALE RPAS is aimed at the 2025 timeframe.

Prior to the contract award, the MALE RPAS Programme was formally integrated into OCCAR with the signature of the respective Programme Decision by the members of the OCCAR MALE RPAS Programme Board. The OCCAR MALE RPAS Programme Division will be located in Munich/Hallbergmoos.

More information:

• EDA project page on RPAS
• OCCAR website

For the fifth time since its genesis in 2014, the Spanish Air Force successfully hosted the European Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Course (EAATTC) at their airbase in Zaragoza.  

The course, EAATTC 16-4, was held from 11 to 23 September 2016.  Five participating crews from the Czech Republic, Spain, Poland, Rumania and Belgium followed and graduated from this demanding  course. Together with the support of a multinational team of tactical instructors, intelligence analysts and operational support officers and experts from the European Air Transport Command, the Spanish Air force was able to plan and execute 43 advanced training sorties with a total of 108 flight hours flown by a mixture of airlift assets: ES–C130, FR- C160, CZ-C295, PL-C295, RO-C27J and BE-130).  

The course falls under the remit of the European Air Transport Fleet (EATF) initiative, which is a Category A programme of the EDA designed to improve airlift fleet capacity and interoperability among twenty of the European Union’s Member States. The next EATF event will be the European Air Transport Symposium which will be held in Florence, Italy over the period 5-7 October 2016.

More information:

• EATF project page 
  
  
  

Recent developments in the EU have created a “window of opportunity” which should be seized to relaunch the European defence policy and strengthen the European defence industry by taking decisive action, the Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency (EDA), Jorge Domecq, has said.

Speaking at an industrial event in Brussels Thursday night (22 September), Mr Domecq stressed that “never before over the last 10 years have we had such opportunity to relaunch the European defence project and provide it with renewed impetus and commitment”. The EU Global Strategy (EUGS), the various initiatives taken by different Member States, the Commission President’s State of the Union address have all added to this “general sense of step change”, he said. “I sincerely believe that what we now need is action, not words: seizing a window of opportunity not window dressing or declarations of intent”.

The EUGS, Mr Domecq said, has to be backed up by a “concrete and ambitious Implementation Plan” which will have to tackle many issues at the same time: Permanent Structured Cooperation, Defence Semester, a more output oriented Capability Development Plan, the identification of key strategic activities, the advancement on critical enablers such as standardization, certification and airworthiness.

 

Strengthen the EDTIB

 The EDA Chief Executive, who was delivering the key note speech at a diner-debate organized by the Saab Group, particularly insisted on the need to strengthen the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) to ensure its remains competitive, efficient and capable of providing Europe’s Armed Forces with the capabilities they will need in the future.

Investing more in Research and Technologies (R&T) will be absolutely key, especially given that today’s defence R&T expenditure is down to its lowest level since 2006. “The massive decline in budgetary terms of our defence R&T efforts is a matter of the highest concern.

It is the capabilities of the future which are at stake here. It is also the competitiveness of our defence industry which is at risk”, he said. “Without a strong and competitive EDTIB we will not only loose our freedom of action, an appropriate level of strategic autonomy, our ability to design and develop, operate and maintain state-of-the-art defence equipment, but our defence culture altogether”, Mr Domecq warned.

 

Better exploiting EU funding

 Mr Domecq also called for an optimal use all available means to incentivize cooperation among Member States and improve the quality of spending. “The EDA can play a key role here, including by closely cooperating with the European Commission to better exploit the relevant EU funding, policy and programmatic instruments that the European Defence Action Plan is going to highlight by the end of the year”, he said.

 

More information

Mr Domecq's full speech

In December 2015, Nexter and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) announced the completion of their association and the creation of a new joint holding company - KNDS - which, many say, could trigger a wider consolidation in the sector of land defence systems in Europe. To find out more about the strategy behind the transaction and its wider impact on the defence industry landscape, we spoke to Stéphane Mayer, CEO of Nexter and co-CEO of the newly created KNDS.

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This interview appeared in the EDA's latest European Defence Matters magazine (Nr. 11) which you can read here.

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Q.: Which were the main drivers behind the Nexter-KMW merger and the creation of KNDS (KMW + Nexter Defense Systems): synergy and cost-saving considerations or more long-term, strategic ambitions?

Stéphane Mayer: The strategic aim of the joint venture between Nexter and KMW is to create a European leader in land defence offering joint products that meet the operational needs of the French and German armies, and obviously those of other European and international forces. This will result in genuine convergence for users that often operate together in the same theatres. The success of our alliance will be boosted by two kinds of convergence between our Governments, which must not only define common requirements, but also adopt the same approach to export controls.
Over the last few months, we have been developing synergies by gradually combining our efforts in several areas: sales, communication, purchasing, finance, products, engineering and production. We are aiming to both boost revenue and limit costs. The process does not involve any restructuring, because both Nexter and KMW are profitable companies with order books representing more than three years of business.

Would you say that KNDS is the starting shot for a major consolidation process in the European land defence systems market to ensure Europeans remain competitive?

When we announced our joint venture, we were the first, and the move came as a surprise to some. In Europe, our Governments need efficient and competitive products and are aiming for more inter-operability. On the worldwide market, the competition is extremely strong. A European consolidation process is an efficient way to achieve those objectives. Besides France and Germany, we are aiming to progressively expand our industrial footprint in other European countries to continue this strategic move.

Some say KNDS could become the “Airbus of the land systems sector”. Is this your ambition and are you already looking for additional European partners to join the group?

The joint venture between Nexter and KMW is the first step towards a strong, durable and independent European industry. Since we started the project, we have consistently stated our desire to drive European consolidation, partly through new industrial alliances. Today, we are laying the foundations of a new group, based on the excellent fit between Nexter and KMW's businesses and the expertise of two companies leading their national markets. In the future, we want to strengthen the group further by welcoming new partners that are an equally good fit and equally effective. I am very confident about this new phase of consolidation, although at the moment the priority remains setting up KNDS with Nexter and KMW.
I would also like to take this opportunity to talk about European consolidation in another area, that of ammunitions. In 2014, Nexter acquired Mecar in Belgium and Simmel Difesa in Italy who joined our Nexter Munitions division, which is now Europe's third-largest munitions player. Combining these three companies has allowed us to generate multiple synergies in ammunitions, but more importantly to maintain a high level of quality in terms of precision, effectiveness and security. As a result, the KNDS group can rely on a solid munitions business.

R&T is a domain where huge synergy effects can be expected from this merger. What do you hope to achieve in R&T together what was not possible alone and how do you see the future of R&T at EU level?

KNDS will indeed lead to R&T synergies. Financing innovation is crucial for the success of our plans, since innovation will allow us to maintain a technological edge over our rivals by developing distinctive systems. Naturally, we will work to eliminate potential duplication of R&T within the new group. Moreover, we welcome the willingness of the Governments to support advanced technologies and R&T studies for the current and future systems. The single most important subject for us in terms of R&T and innovation is linked to the Franco-German initiative to jointly develop the technologies for the MGCS (Main Ground Combat System) and CIFS (Common Indirect Fire System).

It seems that in a first phase, both companies involved in KNDS will keep their organisation, staff and even their own range of products. When do you foresee the first jointly developed and produced KNDS weapon systems - for instance a combat tank - to be on the market?

For many years, we will have to keep large parts of our present organisations unchanged in order to deliver on our commitments to our customers and our existing partnerships and to remain able to support our products in service. However, we are already starting to identify synergies, to act jointly on several matters (sales, product policy, finance, purchasing, communication, etc.). We have also started to work together on future systems, including combat tanks and artillery systems. These programs will be managed, developed and produced by a shared organisation. Their calendars are mainly driven by the operational needs of our customers and the timeframe to achieve a common vision between the German, French and other European customers. In the Defence industry, this takes 5 to 10 years!

2016 has seen a lot of movement in CSDP (EUGS set to be followed by a sectoral defence strategy; launch of Pilot Project and preparation of the Preparatory Action on defence-related research) and more is expected in the coming months (European Defence Action Plan by the EC). How optimistic are you that all this will give a boost to the European defence industry in general, and to the land systems sector in particular?

We can be optimistic, while remaining realistic. The land defence market is doing well internationally, and there are still many opportunities, particularly in Asia and the Middle East. However, it is an extremely competitive sector and every tender process requires increasingly large investments from the companies involved. In Europe in the last few years, Nexter and KMW have taken part in tender processes with products such as our 8x8 combat vehicles (VBCI and Boxer) and 155mm artillery systems (Caesar and PZH2000). We were not successful. Unfortunately in some cases buyers decided to purchase non-European equipment or untested equipment.
Of course competitiveness is essential in order to meet the European market's needs. But there are also needs for greater European awareness regarding defence, and particularly land defence. Armies on the ground need to be much more integrated through common equipment, we need to maintain an independent EDTIB that maintains Europe's superiority in certain areas of excellence (protection, firepower, communication systems, etc.) and we need to maintain and develop a European industry that guarantees the sovereignty of EU states.

On the other hand, there is also the uncertainty created by the Brexit vote and the prospect of the UK leaving the EU. How will all this impact European defence cooperation?

The European defence project is vital and the many dramatic events we have seen in recent years are a reminder that we must not let down our guard on security and defence issues. We are therefore confident that the United Kingdom will remain a staunch ally and continue to develop a strong defence relationship with France. Nexter has a joint venture with BAE, CTA International, based in France. CTA International specialises in telescoped 40mm-calibre armament systems, and has developed a revolutionary new cannon. This 40mm cannon has been acquired by both the French and British armies as part of the Scorpion and Scout programmes, proving both the effectiveness of the weapons themselves and the wisdom of our Franco-British joint venture. Brexit is unlikely to have an impact on our projects.

 

Biography

Stéphane Mayer joined the Airbus group (formerly EADS) in 2003 as Chairman and CEO of EADS Socata, an aviation component and aircraft manufacturer. In 2007, EADS appointed him for a 3-year term as CEO of ATR, a joint venture plane maker. In 2010, he joined the Daher group as President and CEO of its aviation and defence division. At the end of 2015, he was appointed Chairman and CEO of Nexter Systems, which designs, integrates and maintains in operational condition weapons systems and armoured vehicles. As part of the association with Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, he simultaneously became co-CEO of KNDS, the joint holding company which owns the two operating entities.

The first Train the Trainers Battlefield Vehicles Forensics course (BVF) is currently being held at the facilities of Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) in Karlsborg (Sweden). The course, which will end on 23 September, takes place under the umbrella of the European Defence Agency’s (EDA) C-IED Training and Education initiative.

Fifteen students from Member States participate in this course that focuses on enriching skills of operators responsible for the examination of a vehicle having been damaged/destroyed due to an IED attack.  

The BVF concentrates on collecting and processing all identifying marks (i.e. data plates), as well as evidence photographing and documentation recording: Vehicles are thoroughly searched for weapon signatures, weapon fragments, spall or behind armor debris. Additionally, damages are documented, and collected fragments are measured and photographed in accordance with accepted forensic collection standards.  BVF is strictly a forensic collection activity to support technical analysis. A large number of post blast exploitation practices are planned for duration of the course. 

Copyright picture: Swedish Armed Forces
 

More information:

• C-IED project page
• JDEAL project page

The latest European Defence Matters magazine is now available with a special focus on the new EU Global Strategy and “What’s next for Defence?”

When the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission, Federica Mogherini, presented last June the EU’s new ‘Global Strategy for Foreign and Security Policy’ (EUGS), our choice for the cover story of this 11th issue of European Defence Matters became a no-brainer.

Indeed, as Prof. Dr. Sven Biscop, Director at the Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations in Brussels and one of our guest writers in this magazine, accurately points out, “The EUGS is one of the most ambitious EU documents on defence to date”. Among the most ambitious EUGS statements, ideas and proposals, many are related to defence and military capabilities.

In this issue, we therefore propose an analysis of the defence aspects of the EUGS while also looking at the follow up, especially in view of the strategy’s concrete implementation.

We also spoke to Nexter CEO Stéphane Mayer about the recent merger with Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) and the creation of KNDS which, many say, could be the beginning of a consolidation process in the land defence systems sector in Europe.  

EU-NATO cooperation is another topic after the two organisations signed a Joint Declaration last July. We also spoke to NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg about this, the recent Warsaw NATO Summit and the EU Global Strategy.

We also looked at the growing importance of energy management in the defence as the impact of energy consumption on defence budgets and military effectiveness is growing drastically.

In our ‘Opinion’ section, Jyrki Katainen, European Commission Vice-President, shared his analysis about the importance of the ‘circular economy’ concept for the defence sector and how it can help to improve the European defence industry’s competitiveness.  We also have an exclusive interview with the chair of the EU military Committee (EUMC), General Mikhail Kostarakos.

Enjoy your reading!
 

More information:

• European Defence Matters 11

The European Defence Agency (EDA) currently has several job openings in the different directorates: 15 temporary agents, five seconded national experts and one contractual agent. The profiles we’re looking for include director, head of unit, project officer and assistant positions across all EDA directorates. Candidates must apply via the EDA website.

Among the vacancies, you will find the position of Director Capability, Armament and Technology, Head of Unit Human Resources, Head of Unit Industry Strategy and Wider EU Policies, Policy Officer Industry Relations and Support, Project Officer Rotary Wing, Project Officer Maritime Capabilities or Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive and many more. Do not miss this chance and consult the EDA job portal for an overview of all open posts. Starting dates vary between March and October 2017.

The Agency is an “outward-facing” organisation, constantly interacting with its shareholders, the participating Member States, as well as with a wide range of stakeholders. It works in an integrated way, with multi-disciplinary teams representing all the Agency’s functional areas, to realise its objectives including its annual Work Programme and its rolling three-year Work Plan. Its business processes are flexible and oriented towards achieving results. Staff at all levels need to demonstrate the corresponding qualities of flexibility, innovation, and team-working; to work effectively with shareholders and stakeholder groups, formal and informal; and to operate without the need for detailed direction.

 

More information:

• Access the vacancy notices through our job portal

Recommendations and guidelines regarding the exposition to pulsed electromagnetic signals are very different depending on the organization which publish it (like it is the case for IEEE or ICNIRP). These discrepancies create some difficulties regarding which guideline to follow.

To have a better understanding on the effects produced by these electromagnetic fields, the European Defence Agency (EDA) has initiated the RFBIO project which was officially launched at a kick-off meeting on 1 September at the EDA premises.

At this stage, there are two EDA Member States contributing to this Category B project: Sweden, as the lead nation, and Germany. Additional Member States are expected to join later.

The RFBIO study is being carried out by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and the Bundeswehr Institute of Radiobiology in Munich.

Over the next five years, these institutions will analyze the biological effects of Electromagnetic Fields with specific characteristics which have not been completely characterized for the time being.

The duty of care for military personnel is the main driver behind this research project the results of which will benefit the armed forces of all EU Member States.

 

More information:

• Bundeswehr Institute of Radiobiology
• Karolinska Institute in Stockholm