Defense`s Feeds

Boxer MRAV (click to view full) Wheeled armored vehicles have become much more common, but the Dutch-German Boxer stands out from the crowd. Its English acronym is “Multi Role Armoured Vehicle” (MRAV), but rather than being a family of different vehicles, the Boxer will use a single chassis, with snap-in modules for different purposes from […]

Americas Boeing won a $33 million deal for Small Diameter Bomb I sustainment and titled contractor logistics support. The deal provides for the SDB-I program and requires continuous contractor logistics support throughout production, fielding, and sustainment. The Small Diameter Bomb I (SDB I) is a type of precision-guided bomb used by military aircraft. It’s designed […]

Italian Eurofighters (click to view full) The multi-national Eurofighter Typhoon has been described as the aerodynamic apotheosis of lessons learned from the twin engine “teen series” fighters that began with the F-14 and F-15, continued with the emergence of the F/A-18 Hornet, and extended through to the most recent F/A-18 Super Hornet variants. Aerodynamically, it’s […]

The European Defence Agency (EDA) began implementing two strategic defence research projects, ECOBALLIFE and ARTURO, that were selected under the European Defence Fund (EDF) 2021 call for proposals.

The EDF incentivises cooperation and supports the competitiveness of the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base. It aims at providing financial support to defence research and capability development. In line with the EDF Regulations and following the signature of the Contribution Agreement by the European Commission, EDA is responsible for the indirect management of the projects.

ECOBALLIFE

The project ‘Research in Eco-designed Ballistic Systems for Durable Lightweight Protections Against Current and New Threats in Platform and Personal Applications’ was selected in the EDF area of materials and structures for enhanced protection in hostile environments. It analyses new materials and technologies improving protection for soldiers and vehicles against a wide range of threats and identifies European know-how in the field of military protection systems.

Coordinated by TECNALIA from Spain, ECOBALLIFE brings together 16 partners from six EU Member States. The €10 million project officially kicked-off on 13 September 2023 at the coordinator’s premises in San Sebastián, Spain, and will conclude in 42 months’ time.

Find more information about the ECOBALLIFE project and the consortium here.

ARTURO

The project ‘Advanced Radar Technology in eUROpe’ consolidates state-of-the-art technologies, emerging concepts, and trends in the field of radar technology, responding to future operational needs in the European armed forces.

The consortium is led by Leonardo S.p.A. from Italy and encompasses 25 participants from 11 Member States. The €20 million project kicked-off on 4 and 5 October 2023 in Rome, Italy, and will conclude in 36 months’ time.

Find more information about the ARTURO project and the consortium here.

Over 180 experts from 29 countries, along with more than 30 different institutions and organisations, participated in the sixth conference of the third phase of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS III) in Malaga. This was the highest level of participation since the start of the project. It underscored the Consultation Forum's status as the biggest European defence energy community. 

CF SEDSS is a European Commission-funded initiative managed by the EDA. 

EDA organised the sixth CF SEDSS III conference on 22-23 November 2023 under the auspices of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union and hosted by the Ministry of Defence of Spain, with the support of Engineering Systems for the Defence of Spain. This plenary conference was combined with the second Energy Technology Solutions Conference, held on 24 November 2023, and an onsite exhibition, showcasing cutting-edge energy technology solutions applicable to defence.  

Conference participants discussed energy efficiency measures in military buildings, electrification of military transport, energy storage, resilience of defence-related critical energy infrastructure and the energy transition. Participants were updated on EU energy policies and strategies.

For the first time, the community welcomed the acting U.S Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, who spoke on the US defence energy technology trends. 

Committed to sustainable energy in defence 

The conference was opened with speeches by EDA Chief Executive Jiří Šedivý, Lieutenant General Luis Cebrián Carbonell, Director of Infrastructures Directorate, Ministry of Defence, Spain, and Paula Pinho, Director, Directorate-General for Energy, European Commission. Brigadier General E. Ruiz Alonso, Chief, Spanish Army General Logistics Base Program Support Office, Spanish Ministry of Defence, gave a keynote speech. 

In his speech, EDA's Šedivý highlighted that the Consultation Forum conference “is more than an examination of energy policy and exhibition of technological advancements. It is a testament to our collective and continued commitment towards sustainable energy within the defence sector." He looked ahead to 2040, where EDA “foresees a transformation in warfare — driven by digitisation and greener consciousness, with climate change at the forefront of security and operational landscapes.”

Lieutenant General Luis Cebrián Carbonell, Director of Infrastructures Directorate, Ministry of Defence, Spain said: “The defence sector is proactively defining its energy and environmental strategies, with a focus on achieving national and European goals for improved energy efficiency and reduced carbon emissions."

Paula Pinho, Director, Directorate-General for Energy, European Commission said: “Recent events have also put the Consultation Forum at the centre of the European scene. What started focusing on the secondary issue, developed into a wide and well-established EU action in the defence domain – a network of experts who learned to work together, presenting a blueprint for future European armed forces.”

EDA and the European Commission are working on initiating Phase IV of the Consultation Forum, starting in 2024 and continuing until 2028, Pinho said.

In his keynote address, Brigadier General E. Ruiz Alonso said: “The new Army Logistics Base to be established is meticulously conceived from its inception to seamlessly integrate state-of-the-art advancements in sustainable and efficient energy utilisation. This project is instrumental in cultivating a contemporary sustainable and human-centric environment … to bolster the operations of diverse units within the Spanish Army.” 

2024 event 

The CF SEDSS dissemination event will take place on 25 April 2024 under the auspices of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU and hosted by the Belgian Ministry of Defence. This will be the final event of CF SEDSS Phase III, where project results and outputs achieved in the last four years will be presented.  

More information:  

• CF SEDSS website 

• Defence and energy communities step up efforts on sustainable energy and publish new ground-breaking climate change study (europa.eu) 

• Climate change and EU defence: released new report analysing the links between climate, energy and defence (europa.eu) 

• Tabletop exercise and new study focus on protecting critical energy infrastructure (europa.eu) 

• EDA-led energy forum meets to reduce defence carbon footprint (europa.eu) 

• Fifth Consultation Forum meets in Prague to promote sustainable energy in defence (europa.eu) 

Americas CFM International won a $47.8 million modification, which exercises options to procure three CFM56-7B27AE spare engines, two for the Navy and one for the government of Germany, in support of the P-8A Poseidon aircraft. The P-8A Poseidon is a military aircraft used for maritime patrol and reconnaissance. It’s often used for tasks like searching […]

P-8A Poseidon (click to view full) Maritime surveillance and patrol is becoming more and more important, but the USA’s P-3 Orion turboprop fleet is falling apart. The P-7 Long Range Air ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) Capable Aircraft program to create an improved P-3 began in 1988, but cost overruns, slow progress, and interest in opening the […]

UCAS-D/ N-UCAS concept (click to view full) The idea of UAVs with full stealth and combat capabilities has come a long way, quickly. Air forces around the world are pursuing R&D programs, but in the USA, progress is being led by the US Navy. Their interest is well-founded. A May 2007 non-partisan report discussed the […]

Americas Raytheon won a $94.1 million modification for fiscal 2023 Guided Missile Assemblies, shipping containers, and spare parts in support of the fiscal 2021-2023 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile Block 2 full rate production requirements. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona; Raufoss, Norway; Edinburgh, Australia; San Jose, California; Mississauga, Canada; Ottobrunn, Germany; Cambridge, Canada; Nashua, […]

RIM-162: sections (click to view full) The RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) is used to protect ships from attacking missiles and aircraft, and is designed to counter supersonic maneuvering anti-ship missiles. Compared to the RIM-7 Sea Sparrow, ESSM is effectively a new missile with a larger, more powerful rocket motor for increased range, a […]

AEGIS-BMD: CG-70 launches SM-3 (click to view full) The AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defense System seamlessly integrates the SPY-1 radar, the MK 41 Vertical Launching System for missiles, the SM-3 Standard missile, and the ship’s command and control system, in order to give ships the ability to defend against enemy ballistic missiles. Like its less-capable AEGIS […]

Block IV Cutaway (click to view full) Block IV Tomahawk is the current generation of the Tomahawk family of cruise missiles. The BGM-109 Tomahawk family began life in the 1980s as sub-sonic, low-flying nuclear strike weapons, before being developed into long-range RGM/UGM-109 conventional attack missiles. They’re most frequently launched from submarines and surface ships, and […]

Americas Bell Boeing won a $12.3 million deal for CMV-22B Osprey deployment support. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 US Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a one-year base contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are Texas and Pennsylvania, with a November 30, 2024, performance […]

(click to view full) In March 2008, the Bell Boeing Joint Project Office in Amarillo, TX received a $10.4 billion modification that converted the previous N00019-07-C-0001 advance acquisition contract to a fixed-price-incentive-fee, multi-year contract. The new contract rose to $10.92 billion, and was used to buy 143 MV-22 (for USMC) and 31 CV-22 (Air Force […]

Americas Bell Boeing won a $12.3 million deal for CMV-22B Osprey deployment support. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 US Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a one-year base contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are Texas and Pennsylvania, with a November 30, 2024, performance […]

Americas The BETA Technologies Alia electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft marked a historic moment with its first official test flight from Eglin Air Force Base on November 7, 2023. The primary objectives were to assess battery performance over designated distances and power configurations, and to evaluate the logistical aspects of consecutive flights with […]

Trident II D5 Test Launch (click to view full) Nuclear tipped missiles were first deployed on board US submarines at the height of the Cold War in the 1960s, to deter a Soviet first strike. The deterrence theorists argued that, unlike their land-based cousins, submarine-based nuclear weapons couldn’t be taken out by a surprise first […]

Americas General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) has teamed with EDGE to integrate smart weapons into the MQ-9B SkyGuardian aerial drone. The partnership will see the Abu Dhabi company’s precision-guided and guided-glide munitions integrated into the unmanned system for increased firepower. The BETA Technologies Alia electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft marked a historic […]

0 Reaper, ready… (click to view full) The MQ-9 Reaper UAV, once called “Predator B,” is somewhat similar to the famous Predator. Until you look at the tail. Or its size. Or its weapons. It’s called “Reaper” for a reason: while it packs the same surveillance gear, it’s much more of a hunter-killer design. Some […]

Brussels, 14 November 2023 – Meeting at the Steering Board of the European Defence Agency (EDA), EU Defence Ministers endorsed a Joint Statement on strengthening the EDTIB’s access to finance and its ability to contribute to peace, stability, and sustainability in Europe. The statement emphasizes the importance of enhancing the EDTIB's access to both public and private finance, deemed critical for sustaining industrial operations, fostering innovation, and enhancing competitiveness. 

Access to both public and private finance has emerged as a growing concern for the European Union's defence sector, particularly impacting Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Middle-sized enterprises (MidCaps). This challenge is attributed to the rapid expansion of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing and the increasing significance of ESG reporting within Europe.

The EDTIB contributes significantly to European societies in terms of jobs, economic growth, and technological innovation. It also plays in a key supporting role in ensuring Europe’s security and resilience through the equipment and capabilities that it produces for Member States’ Armed Forces. Thus, the unique character of the defence industry needs to be duly taken into account when assessing the EDTIB’s ESG-performance and pursuing efforts aimed at enhancing the sustainability of Europe’s economy and industry. These efforts cannot come at the expense of the operational effectiveness of the Member States’ Armed Forces.

EDA Chief Executive, Jiří Šedivý, said, “The EDTIB requires steadfast access to public and private finance for its industrial operations, innovation in green technologies, and long-term competitiveness. The unique role and mission of the EDTIB means that limited access to finance jeopardizes scaling and R&D operations. As we work to build a stronger European defence, the defence market also needs to ensure access to potential investors at this crucial time.”

The Joint Statement outlines several proposed steps for the way forward. Importantly, it calls upon both public and private finance institutions, along with relevant investors and market participants, to refrain from discriminatory practices against investments in the EDTIB. The Statement urges these entities to adjust their policies in alignment with this commitment.

EDA remains dedicated to fostering an environment that supports the EDTIB and recognises its vital contribution to Europe's overall safety and security. The endorsement of this Joint Statement signals a united front in addressing the financial challenges faced by the EU's defence sector, especially SMEs and MidCaps, in the evolving landscape of ESG investing.

Full Statement here