Defence`s Feeds

If you think hybrid technology is just for saving fuel on your morning commute, think again. Europe’s armed forces are making significant strikes in this field, and it’s not just about fuel efficiency.  

Imagine infantry vehicles gliding across the terrain, whisper-quiet, with meanwhile reduced fuel consumption. That is the promise of hybrid military tech. 

Over the past 15 months, the second phase of the Hybrid Drive Train Demonstrator (HybriDT II) project has been seeking to turn this vision into reality. On 26 November, the project successfully concluded with a final meeting at the Dutch Army base in Oirschot. The research focused on both wheeled vehicles, specifically 8×8 and 6×6 Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs), and tracked vehicles. 

Launched under the CapTech Ground Systems framework of the EDA’s Research and Innovation Directorate, HybriDT II, aims to enhance maneuverability, improve energy efficiency, cut fuel consumption, and lower emissions.  
EDA as Hub for EU Defence Cooperation  HybriDT II brought together several Member States, with Germany leading the initiative. Austria, the Netherlands, Poland, and Slovenia also participated. The project was carried out by a consortium of 13 industrial and research entities, including AVL List as the project leader and General Dynamics European Land Systems – Steyr from Austria. Other contributors included Germany’s AVL Schrick, AVL Software and Functions, and the Institute for Chemical Technology Fraunhofer; the Dutch firms DNV, TNO, and VDL; Poland’s Military University of Technology and Huta Stalowa Wola Ironworks; and Slovenia’s AVL Slovenia, Elaphe Propulsion Technology, and the University of Ljubljana. 
What’s next?  HybriDT II’s journey is far from over. The next phase, HybriDT III, will tackle the remaining challenges and further advance hybrid technology for military applications. 
A glimpse into the future  At the final meeting, attendees had a chance to witness the future firsthand. Dutch defence companies showed important advancements in hydrogen-based propulsion systems for heavy-duty vehicles and mobility technologies. 

At odds with the West, Russia is looking for new allies. Military assistance, industrial and academic cooperation, currency and technology transfers plus other goodwill gestures: North Korea is emerging as a new partner of choice for Moscow, whose diplomats have been intensively courting their counterparts in Pyongyang since the spring of 2022. [...]

The Ministry of State Security (MSS or Guoanbu) thought it had all the cards in hand. After more than a year of debate, it had succeeded in getting plans to set up an international network of Chinese private security companies [...]

The deal was clinched during the visit of a Russian government delegation to Pyongyang from 17 to 20 November (IO, [...]

A Paris court is due to deliver its verdict on 7 March after the two-week trial of Bernard Squarcini, 68, and [...]

The government instability that followed the dissolution of France's National Assembly in June has prevented the adoption of a new [...]

The Vietnamese People's Army recently issued several invitations to tender to equip its specialised electronic warfare directorate, headed by General [...]

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The next meeting of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE) is scheduled to take place on Monday, 27 January 2025 from 15:00-18:30 and on Tuesday, 28 January 2025 from 9:00-12:30 and 14:30-18:30 in Brussels (room TBC).

Further information about the meeting can be found here.

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SEDE missions 2024:

• Ukraine - 25-26 October 2024
• United Kingdom - 28-30 October 2024
  

SEDE missions 2023:

• India - 17-21 December 2023
• Israel and OPT - 8-10 December 2023
  
• Germany and Poland - 24-26 July 2023
  
• Armenia - 19-22 June 2023
  
• Romania and Moldova - 15-18 May 2023
  
• Djibouti and Somalia - 1-4 April 2023
  
• Bosnia and Herzegovina - 20-23 February 2023
  

SEDE meetings' calendar 2025
SEDE meetings' calendar 2nd half of 2024 - 10th legislature
EP calendar 2024
Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

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