EDA News

EDA’s groundwork to help Member States move towards the integration of MALE-type Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) in civil air traffic in non-segregated airspace received a significant boost recently when a live MALE RPAS flight test carried out by the French Air Force (FAF) contributed to paving the way for the validation of the risk analysis previously done in an Agency study carried out in 2018/19 as well as the EDA and EASA guidelines. 

To date, the conclusions of EDA’s study on the ‘Accommodation of MALE-type RPAS: scenarios and safety case’, delivered in February 2019, had only been tested through simulations but never under real flight conditions. On 19 May 2020, the French Air Force flew a REAPER RPAS, based in the military airbase of Cognac, in civil air traffic beyond segregated airspace. During this over three-hour flight, several hand-overs were carried out between civilian air traffic control centers in Bordeaux and Marseille. Portions of the cruise were carried out in upper airspace, up to FL 230. The RPAS had no specific onboard equipment such as a detect and avoid system. 

The result was a genuine success, as General Reutter, the Director of the French Military Authority, confirmed afterwards in a press statement: "With this operational exercise, we can confirm risk analysis under the auspice of the European Defence Agency. We are proud that these results can feed the Guidelines for Accommodations from the EDA and EASA. They will participate in the current working on the part 'Certified' of the ongoing civil drone European regulation and should facilitate the implementation of the European MALE program”. The full press release is available here.  
 

EDA’s study was ordered in 2018 as part of the Agency’s effort to support Member States in the area of MALE-type RPAS air traffic integration. The study conclusions published in February 2019 provided tailored risk assessments and an enhanced aviation safety case assessment methodology for MALE-type RPAS flying in non-segregated European airspace, alongside manned aviation. Following the presentation of those simulations results, France offered the possibility to perform real flights with a MALE-type RPAS (the FAF Reapers), including a cross-border portion. The successful results of the French test flight will now feed the guidelines for accommodation developed by EDA and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and will be used for the ongoing work on the ‘Certified’ part of the European civil drone regulation. 

This year, there will be additional cross-borders flights performed by FAF Reapers in the framework of the EDA Accommodation Validation study. 

EDA’s groundwork to help Member States move towards the integration of MALE-type Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) in civil air traffic in non-segregated airspace received a significant boost recently when a live MALE RPAS flight test carried out by the French Air Force (FAF) contributed to paving the way for the validation of the risk analysis previously done in an Agency study carried out in 2018/19 as well as the EDA and EASA guidelines. 

To date, the conclusions of EDA’s study on the ‘Accommodation of MALE-type RPAS: scenarios and safety case’, delivered in February 2019, had only been tested through simulations but never under real flight conditions. On 19 May 2020, the French Air Force flew a REAPER RPAS, based in the military airbase of Cognac, in civil air traffic beyond segregated airspace. During this over three-hour flight, several hand-overs were carried out between civilian air traffic control centers in Bordeaux and Marseille. Portions of the cruise were carried out in upper airspace, up to FL 230. The RPAS had no specific onboard equipment such as a detect and avoid system. 

The result was a genuine success, as General Reutter, the Director of the French Military Authority, confirmed afterwards in a press statement: "With this operational exercise, we can confirm risk analysis under the auspice of the European Defence Agency. We are proud that these results can feed the Guidelines for Accommodations from the EDA and EASA. They will participate in the current working on the part 'Certified' of the ongoing civil drone European regulation and should facilitate the implementation of the European MALE program”. The full press release is available here.  
 

EDA’s study was ordered in 2018 as part of the Agency’s effort to support Member States in the area of MALE-type RPAS air traffic integration. The study conclusions published in February 2019 provided tailored risk assessments and an enhanced aviation safety case assessment methodology for MALE-type RPAS flying in non-segregated European airspace, alongside manned aviation. Following the presentation of those simulations results, France offered the possibility to perform real flights with a MALE-type RPAS (the FAF Reapers), including a cross-border portion. The successful results of the French test flight will now feed the guidelines for accommodation developed by EDA and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and will be used for the ongoing work on the ‘Certified’ part of the European civil drone regulation. 

This year, there will be additional cross-borders flights performed by FAF Reapers in the framework of the EDA Accommodation Validation study. 

EDA issued recently a call for industry ideas and contributions in advance of the second ‘Countering Unmanned Airborne systems (C-UAS) Workshop’ scheduled to take place on 15 September 2020.  

After a first workshop jointly organised by EDA and the EU Military Staff last February (with participation from Member States, the European Commission and other institutional stakeholders), the aim is now to invite industry to the second workshop in autumn.  

Companies active in the C-UAS domain are therefore invited to respond to this CUAS Questionnaire by 3 July. 

Participation is open to companies of any size as well as academic, research institutes and associations or groupings of industrial suppliers. Speakers will be selected based on their replies to the call for papers, which will be evaluated by EDA. 

Whereas the first workshop in February was mainly devoted to identifying already available solutions that could be used in support of on-going CSDP operations and missions, the upcoming second event on 15 September will be focused on future capability development efforts related to C-UAS based on the Air Superiority priority agreed by Member States in 2018 as part of the 11 European Capability Development Priorities, as well as the corresponding Strategic Context Case (SCCs).   

During this second workshop, selected industry representatives will be invited to present their views to Member States focusing on the topics included in the call for papers and to make comments and suggestions on further perspectives which could inform capability development and R&T in the selected area. This should also include the long-term industrial and technological prospects (beyond 20 years) of potential relevance also to EDA’s work on Key Strategic Activities (KSA) in this critical domain.   

Contributions must be submitted to EDA at CAP@eda.europa.eu with a copy to dion.polman@eda.europa.eu by 3 July 2020. 

EDA issued recently a call for industry ideas and contributions in advance of the second ‘Countering Unmanned Airborne systems (C-UAS) Workshop’ scheduled to take place on 15 September 2020.  

After a first workshop jointly organised by EDA and the EU Military Staff last February (with participation from Member States, the European Commission and other institutional stakeholders), the aim is now to invite industry to the second workshop in autumn.  

Companies active in the C-UAS domain are therefore invited to respond to this CUAS Questionnaire by 3 July. 

Participation is open to companies of any size as well as academic, research institutes and associations or groupings of industrial suppliers. Speakers will be selected based on their replies to the call for papers, which will be evaluated by EDA. 

Whereas the first workshop in February was mainly devoted to identifying already available solutions that could be used in support of on-going CSDP operations and missions, the upcoming second event on 15 September will be focused on future capability development efforts related to C-UAS based on the Air Superiority priority agreed by Member States in 2018 as part of the 11 European Capability Development Priorities, as well as the corresponding Strategic Context Case (SCCs).   

During this second workshop, selected industry representatives will be invited to present their views to Member States focusing on the topics included in the call for papers and to make comments and suggestions on further perspectives which could inform capability development and R&T in the selected area. This should also include the long-term industrial and technological prospects (beyond 20 years) of potential relevance also to EDA’s work on Key Strategic Activities (KSA) in this critical domain.   

Contributions must be submitted to EDA at CAP@eda.europa.eu with a copy to dion.polman@eda.europa.eu by 3 July 2020. 

EDA has just launched a new study to evaluate the impact EU regulations on chemicals and waste might have on the wider defence sector. The results are expected to be available by the end of this year. 

The study does not cover the REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) nor the CLP (Classification, Labelling and Packaging) regulations which have already been assessed in an EDA study in 2016 and whose effects on defence equipment have proven to be significant - from design and manufacturing to in-service use, maintenance and disposal. 

In the new study, due to be delivered in December, the focus will be on other EU regulations related to chemicals which may also have an impact on European defence capabilities, such as:

• Biocidal Products (BPR)
• Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP)
• Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS)
• Greenhouse Gases (F-GAS)
• Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS). 

The study will also look into potential repercussions on defence of the recently revised EU Waste Framework Directive (WFD), and specifically its provision under Article 9 on providing information to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) database on Substances of Concern in articles as such or In complex Products (SCIP), as from 5 January 2021. 

The study will be carried out by a consortium encompassing Milieu Consulting SPRL (consortium leader) and REACHLAW Oy.
 

The aim of the study is to provide detailed information on the impact of those EU legislations on the defence sector and to propose recommendations on how defence stakeholders (Ministries of Defence, Armed Forces, defence industry) could deal with them in a more coherent way. 

As part of the study, the contractor will be conducting consultations with a range of relevant stakeholders, such as the European Commission, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), Member States’ MoDs, Member States’ competent authorities as well as defence industry stakeholders, including the AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) as well as National Defence Industry Associations (NDIAs).
 

• REACH (EDA project page) 

EDA has just launched a new study to evaluate the impact EU regulations on chemicals and waste might have on the wider defence sector. The results are expected to be available by the end of this year. 

The study does not cover the REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) nor the CLP (Classification, Labelling and Packaging) regulations which have already been assessed in an EDA study in 2016 and whose effects on defence equipment have proven to be significant - from design and manufacturing to in-service use, maintenance and disposal. 

In the new study, due to be delivered in December, the focus will be on other EU regulations related to chemicals which may also have an impact on European defence capabilities, such as:

• Biocidal Products (BPR)
• Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP)
• Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS)
• Greenhouse Gases (F-GAS)
• Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS). 

The study will also look into potential repercussions on defence of the recently revised EU Waste Framework Directive (WFD), and specifically its provision under Article 9 on providing information to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) database on Substances of Concern in articles as such or In complex Products (SCIP), as from 5 January 2021. 

The study will be carried out by a consortium encompassing Milieu Consulting SPRL (consortium leader) and REACHLAW Oy.
 

The aim of the study is to provide detailed information on the impact of those EU legislations on the defence sector and to propose recommendations on how defence stakeholders (Ministries of Defence, Armed Forces, defence industry) could deal with them in a more coherent way. 

As part of the study, the contractor will be conducting consultations with a range of relevant stakeholders, such as the European Commission, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), Member States’ MoDs, Member States’ competent authorities as well as defence industry stakeholders, including the AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) as well as National Defence Industry Associations (NDIAs).
 

• REACH (EDA project page) 

Smart textiles are a new generation of innovative material offering very interesting multifunctional properties such as being integrable into uniforms and platforms. They therefore have drawn the attention of the defence sector.   

Against this backdrop, EDA has incorporated smart textiles into the so-called Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) of its capability technology group (’CapTech’) devoted to Materials & Structures, and a specific Technology Building Block (TBB) was set up for them. Furthermore, other EDA CapTechs, such as those dealing with CBRN, Human Factors and Ground Systems, have taken initiatives related to smart textiles.  
 

In January 2019, EDA launched a project on “Smart TextILEs in defence: looking at the soldiers of the future” with two participating Member States, Spain and Portugal. The practical implementation of this project, called STILE, was assigned to a consortium led by the Spanish research institute AITEX, in collaboration with two Portuguese organisations, CITEVE and INEGI. 

The objective of STILE is to lay the foundation for a future ‘European Multifunctional Smart Textile’ for defence able to respond to a certain number of requirements in terms of functionality, integration, comfort and weight. More precisely, it was aimed to define a roadmap for developing a system offering several functionalities in a textile substrate, and to come up with a proof of concept that integrates various functionalities with state-of-the-art technologies.
 

The initial analysis undertaken under the project confirmed that Europe lacks multifunctional smart textile capabilities in defence. Hence the importance for the STILE project to produce a proof of concept of multifunctional smart textiles able to integrate in a single model all the afore-mentioned features and requirements.  

Preliminary results of the project give already an overview of the current R&T development and technology needs as well as the challenges laying ahead to overcome those needs. The methodology used was based on the technical knowledge of the consortium members and the collection of data coming from multiple sources, including a technology foresight workshop on smart textile technologies organised at EDA, a survey done among the Agency’s ‘Materials’ CapTech experts as well as various meetings with experts.
 

A medium to long-term technology roadmap was established with a set of actions required to develop an innovative smart textile for future defence applications, including the incorporation of modern design and development methodology by the textile industry. For this purpose, two simulation models were developed to evaluate the main concepts regarding the thermal protection capacity of the garment and the thermal signature under different ambient conditions.  
 

As a first step of the roadmap, a multifunctional smart textile prototype - the first of this type and quality in Europe - was produced with the following functions (each of them tested):  

• signature management: the textile has multispectral camouflage in both static and moving positions 

• CBR threats monitoring: the smart textile detects the presence of hazardous agents (e.g. H2S, NO2, Cl2) and provides warning to the soldier 

• improved mobility, using various textile structures as well as seamless technology in body mapping concept 

• flame retardancy, water and dirt repellence and anti-mosquito solutions 

• physiological monitoring: the smart textile measures the heart rate and provide info to the soldier 

• temperature regulation (cooling and heating): the smart textile is able to control the body temperature through monitoring of the ambient temperature 

• communication: the smart textile provides all parameters, such as the heart rate, to the soldier via an app in the smartphone, embedded in the system. In addition, the data can be transferred to the operating centre, if needed. 
   

From June 2020 onwards, the STILE prototype will be further tested in the field to make sure that it fulfills the stringent military requirements. At the end of the project (expected in May 2021) an exhibition centre will be organized to reveal the fully tested STILE model to the European defence and dual use community, reaching out the potential users in the European Ministries of Defence. 

Smart textiles are a new generation of innovative material offering very interesting multifunctional properties such as being integrable into uniforms and platforms. They therefore have drawn the attention of the defence sector.   

Against this backdrop, EDA has incorporated smart textiles into the so-called Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) of its capability technology group (’CapTech’) devoted to Materials & Structures, and a specific Technology Building Block (TBB) was set up for them. Furthermore, other EDA CapTechs, such as those dealing with CBRN, Human Factors and Ground Systems, have taken initiatives related to smart textiles.  
 

In January 2019, EDA launched a project on “Smart TextILEs in defence: looking at the soldiers of the future” with two participating Member States, Spain and Portugal. The practical implementation of this project, called STILE, was assigned to a consortium led by the Spanish research institute AITEX, in collaboration with two Portuguese organisations, CITEVE and INEGI. 

The objective of STILE is to lay the foundation for a future ‘European Multifunctional Smart Textile’ for defence able to respond to a certain number of requirements in terms of functionality, integration, comfort and weight. More precisely, it was aimed to define a roadmap for developing a system offering several functionalities in a textile substrate, and to come up with a proof of concept that integrates various functionalities with state-of-the-art technologies.
 

The initial analysis undertaken under the project confirmed that Europe lacks multifunctional smart textile capabilities in defence. Hence the importance for the STILE project to produce a proof of concept of multifunctional smart textiles able to integrate in a single model all the afore-mentioned features and requirements.  

Preliminary results of the project give already an overview of the current R&T development and technology needs as well as the challenges laying ahead to overcome those needs. The methodology used was based on the technical knowledge of the consortium members and the collection of data coming from multiple sources, including a technology foresight workshop on smart textile technologies organised at EDA, a survey done among the Agency’s ‘Materials’ CapTech experts as well as various meetings with experts.
 

A medium to long-term technology roadmap was established with a set of actions required to develop an innovative smart textile for future defence applications, including the incorporation of modern design and development methodology by the textile industry. For this purpose, two simulation models were developed to evaluate the main concepts regarding the thermal protection capacity of the garment and the thermal signature under different ambient conditions.  
 

As a first step of the roadmap, a multifunctional smart textile prototype - the first of this type and quality in Europe - was produced with the following functions (each of them tested):  

• signature management: the textile has multispectral camouflage in both static and moving positions 

• CBR threats monitoring: the smart textile detects the presence of hazardous agents (e.g. H2S, NO2, Cl2) and provides warning to the soldier 

• improved mobility, using various textile structures as well as seamless technology in body mapping concept 

• flame retardancy, water and dirt repellence and anti-mosquito solutions 

• physiological monitoring: the smart textile measures the heart rate and provide info to the soldier 

• temperature regulation (cooling and heating): the smart textile is able to control the body temperature through monitoring of the ambient temperature 

• communication: the smart textile provides all parameters, such as the heart rate, to the soldier via an app in the smartphone, embedded in the system. In addition, the data can be transferred to the operating centre, if needed. 
   

From June 2020 onwards, the STILE prototype will be further tested in the field to make sure that it fulfills the stringent military requirements. At the end of the project (expected in May 2021) an exhibition centre will be organized to reveal the fully tested STILE model to the European defence and dual use community, reaching out the potential users in the European Ministries of Defence. 

EDA’s Steering Board has given its green light for the launch of a new project designed to improve the receiver performance of electronic radio frequency (RF) sensors used in military platforms in adverse and heavily contested environments. Dubbed SPICE (‘Superior Performance in Contested Environments’), the project builds on the successful work already accomplished at the Agency in the same critical domain. 

At this stage, the Netherlands and Sweden are participating in this new project which is however open to all Member States. It aims to further develop the excellent results of two previous EDA ad hoc projects on Switched Applications (SWAP) and Switched Applications-Complementary (SWAP-C), local RF power generation and amplification based on switched technology. These projects were focused on narrow band transceivers to improve the performance of radars for naval applications and on wideband transceivers for electronic warfare for combat aircraft. Both of them demonstrated the superior performance of gallium-Nitride (GaN) technology for the transmit path compared to other technologies previously used.
 

Over the next 36 months, SPICE will take this work forward with the aim of improving the performance of the receive channel of the transceiver (dynamic range, linearity, efficiency etc.). This is done in an integral approach over the complete RF chain, while taking into account additional requirements such as cost and other system-imposed constraints (including cooling). The work will start with investigating, defining and specifying concepts with which the linearity and performance of receivers can be achieved. This also includes an assessment of all the technologies currently available. 

As part of an exploration and experimentation phase, the consortium will work on wideband receivers, narrowband receivers and packaging and integration technologies. The consortium involved in the afore-mentioned projects remains the same, contributing to increase the expertise of the European defence industry and create a stable supply chain around key European players.

Following his appointment by the EDA Steering Board on 5 March, Jiří Šedivý has officially taken over on 4 May as the Agency’s new Chief Executive for an initial 3-year mandate, extendable for two additional years. 

“It is a great honour and privilege for me to take up the position of Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency. As European defence cooperation has made significant progress over recent years with the establishment of new EU defence tools, the importance of the Agency has considerably grown. The current global COVID-19 pandemic and its economic, budgetary and security-related repercussions make EU defence cooperation even more indispensable. New challenges notwithstanding, we must preserve the continuity and dynamics in the area of collaborative defence capability development. Therefore, and perhaps more than before, we need a strong, effective and reliable Agency supporting its Member States, enhancing cooperation with all relevant EU bodies and institutions as well as partners”, Jiří Šedivý stated when taking up his duties. 
  

Mr Šedivý has extensive experience in the defence domain, having served as Defence Minister of the Czech Republic (2006-2007), Deputy Defence Minister (2010-2012), NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defence Policy and Planning (2007-2010) and Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to NATO (2012-2019). 
 

• Jiří Šedivý, EDA Chief Executive

EDA’s Steering Board has green-lit the launch of a new research project aimed at studying ways and means of improving the operational outfit and equipment of Armed Forces operating in extreme cold and icy weather conditions.  

Picture : Austrian Armed Forces

Military missions and operations in cold climate are particularly challenging as they demand from the troops a great deal of physical, operational and mental resilience. Experience from exercises in extreme cold has shown that a considerable number of the soldiers suffer from cold weather injuries (e.g. frostbite, hypothermia, chilblains, immersion foot) and negative energy balance which can highly compromise their performances. An in-depth knowledge of the risk factors for developing cold-related injuries and their impact on the troops’ safety and effectiveness is thus critical to sustain operations in the north.  

Against this backdrop, EDA has just launched a new R&T project to study this problem in greater detail to ascertain consequences and possible countermoves. Under the lead of the Netherlands, three more countries are participating: France, Sweden and Norway (the latter is no formal EDA Member State but has concluded an Administrative Agreement with the Agency). The overall objective is to contribute to improving the European capability of operating in arctic/cold environments by developing tools to reduce the risk of soldiers developing cold-weather-related injuries and enhance war fighter performance.  

The project has a duration of three to four years.
 

It is the first R&T project in EDA to study Cold Weather Operations on a European level. It will be important to identify the standards and procedures are currently being applied in the various Member States. The project will therefore identify national variations in the regulations and threshold values for body temperature, safe working duration and respective garment requirements and develop an interpretation guide to translate the generic advice of the main existing standard in this field, ISO-11079, and its extension to national clothing & equipment items. It will also review and measure individual variation in thermal stress response and nutritional demands in cold environments. Finally, the intention is also to identify the added value of wearable sensor technologies for improved personalised advice.  

The Cold Weather Operations project is one of several R&T activities under the CapTech CBRN and Human Factors. 
 

• EDA project page: CapTech CBRN and Human Factors

EDA has launched a first call for papers from defence industry, academia and research institutes on the topic of Integration of military air capabilities in a changing context of the civil aviation sector in the framework of EDA’s upcoming Single European Sky Workshops.

The purpose of the workshop is to provide industry with a deeper insight into the Strategic Context Case (SCC) 10 (Integration of military air capabilities in a changing aviation sector) and develop a common understanding by gathering industry proposals on new R&D and validation activities needed within the Single European Sky (SES) domain.

This call for papers is part of a broader approach to SCC 10, and aims to initiate and consolidate cooperative projects in the following domains:

• Military access to airspace, in particular in a Single European Sky context. The aim is to improve, for existing and future manned and unmanned air capabilities, the ability to train and conduct security and defence missions particularly in peacetime, but also in crisis and conflict.
• Protect the confidentiality of mission critical information and ensure a resilient and robust data sharing network in the changing context of the civil aviation sector.
• Coordination with civilian aviation authorities and structures, infrastructures and procedures while maintaining military-to-military interoperability to enable the effective contribution to operations in multinational coalitions.
• The adaptation of Military AIR/SPACE C2 capability and Communication Navigation Surveillance (CNS) capability to the changing context of the civil aviation sector including the deployment of ATM technologies and the development of the U-Space concept.

The responses to this call for papers will drive the ideation of potential project proposals during the second formal workshop which will take place at EDA on 25 June 2020*.

How to submit 

• Download the call for papers
• Download the questionnaire
• Send your completed files to ise@eda.europa.eu
• Deadline for submissions is 15 May 2020.

Submissions are sought from a wide range of industries involved in ATM (Air Traffic Management)/SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research). Though responses to all questions in this call for papers are encouraged, submitters may develop answers to specific questions in greater detail based on their area of expertise.

Submissions will be judged on their innovativeness and relevance as well as ability to stimulate discussion on future ATM/SES in a military context. Participation in this call for papers is open to companies of any size as well as academic, research institutes and associations or groupings of industrial suppliers.

*The workshop will be subject to any recommendations put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please check the EDA website for any updates.

The European Defence Agency's Steering Board has approved the launch of a specific EDA ad hoc project which will contribute to  the implementation of a Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) project aimed at developing a Deployable Modular Underwater Intervention Capability Package (DIVEPACK). Bulgaria, which leads a group of three PESCO participating countries involved in DIVEPACK (together with France and Greece), had formally requested the Agency’s support for moving this ambitious project forward.  

The DIVEPACK project, part of the second batch of PESCO projects approved in November 2018, aims at developing an interoperable specialised modular asset called “DIVEPACK Unit”. The Unit will provide a comprehensive capability package (both as materiel and expertise) enabling a tailored response to the full spectrum of defensive (non-Special Operations Forces, SOF) underwater divers’ interventions, in expeditionary setting, both at sea and in inland bodies of water, in support of EU missions. It will focus on human centric integration of a wide range of diving and Unmanned Underwater Vehicles materiel, operated by qualified personnel, in a comprehensive capability package.  

The capability will be based on an open plug-and-play architecture which will facilitate the versatility of response in the framework of EU CSDP operations and will provide a quick reaction capability, applicable to a broad range of underwater scenarios, both at sea and in inland bodies of water, except for special forces missions.  
 

EDA’s specific Category B project will serve as a preparation phase for the DIVEPACK PESCO project and deal with harmonisation of requirements, in particular the development and endorsement of the Common Staff Targets (CST), Common Staff Requirements (CSR), the Business Case (BC) and other relevant documents necessary to allow for a smooth acquisition phase afterwards. EDA will thus act as a facilitator and manager of the launch phase of the project.  

EDA’s Acting Chief Executive Olli Ruutu said: “EDA is delighted to take this ambitious and innovative PESCO project forward and to support its Member States. As the European hub for collaborative capability development, the Agency has the required expertise to help Member States in the implementation of their PESCO projects. The development of underwater control capabilities which contribute to resilience at sea and are based on new technologies such as unmanned systems, is one of the European Capability Development Priorities agreed in 2018. The DIVEPACK project will contribute to this priority”.  

Bulgaria's Deputy Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov said: “The DIVEPACK is the first joint project in the PESCO context coordinated by Bulgaria, which makes us proud and also ambitious. Its core purpose is to build up a range of specific defence capabilities, which will be fully aligned with the European Capability Development Priorities. The DIVEPACK units will be capable of executing versatility of underwater missions and tasks as part of EU CSDP and NATO operations. The first phase of DIVEPACK will be implemented within EDA’s  framework as a Cat B project and we believe that the Agency’s competences and experience in facilitating collaborative defence initiatives will provide indispensable support for the successful completion of the project. In pursuing coherence on EU level, we intend to submit a part of the DIVEPACK activities for funding under the Commission’s European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP).”

Following calls for proposals launched by the European Defence Agency (EDA) in 2019, seven new defence research projects have been selected for funding under the Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR) for a total of more than €19 million.  

The seven selected projects focus on technologies with a high disruptive potential in the defence sector such as artificial intelligence and quantum technologies, as well as critical defence technologies for electronic warfare and interoperability standards for military unmanned systems.

The consortia that submitted the selected proposals consist of 65 leading-edge European system integrators, original equipment manufacturers, high-tech MidCap and SMEs and research institutes located in 15 EU Member States. EDA will now start Grant Agreement preparations with the consortia of the top-ranking proposals. The Grant Agreements are foreseen to be signed in the second half of 2020.

Background  

PADR implementation is run by the European Defence Agency following the mandate of a Delegation Agreement between the European Commission and EDA signed on 31st May 2017. By this agreement the Commission entrusts EDA with the management and implementation of the research projects to be launched within the PADR. The first PADR calls for proposals were launched in 2017 for 25 M€, followed by calls in 2018 for 40 M€ and subsequently in 2019.

The Preparatory Action on Defence Research is a concrete step aimed at assessing and demonstrating the added value of EU supported defence research and technology (R&T). The relevant results are expected to further deepen European defence cooperation, addressing capability shortfalls, and to strengthen European defence stakeholders.

More information

• Factsheet on selected projects
• EDA Webpage on PADR
• European Commission | Press Release: European Defence Fund: EU funds new joint research and industrial projects 

The European Defence Agency today issued a call for applications from parties interested in participating in the 2020 edition of the ‘EDA Defence Innovation Prize’ contest rewarding companies and research entities who come up with innovative and ground-breaking technologies, products, processes or services applicable in the defence domain.

This year’s contest will reward innovative defence-related ideas addressing the area of innovative solutions/technologies for the countering of swarms of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), specifically on the protection of static and dynamic land facilities and platforms.

Applicants are expected to propose ideas which, if implemented between now and 2030, would contribute to enhance Member States’ defence capabilities specifically related to:

• the detection and identification of swarms of small drones (many units acting in a coordinated manner); 
• mitigation measures incorporating the capability to intercept, disable and neutralise hostile vehicles;
• and the minimising of collateral damage.

The winning idea/concept will be worth 30,000€.
 

The contest is not only open to dedicated and specialised defence companies but to ALL types of industries and research institutions in Europe. The objective is to reach out to the widest possible spectrum of innovative developers and producers - especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) - as well as research organisations and universities which are usually not (or not directly) involved in traditional defence R&D activities. Applications from dual-use and civil/commercial innovators and researchers are even particularly encouraged.

The deadline for submissions is 4 September 2020 (5pm Brussels time).

The rules of the contest and the criteria for participation are available here. Information on how to apply can also be found in the contest documentation under the link above.

The prize winners will be notified not later than October 2020. The Defence Innovation Prize award ceremony is scheduled to take place at the EDA Annual Conference 2020, early December, in Brussels.
 

EDA organises its Defence Innovation Prize since 2018. The previous editions rewarded the most innovative ideas or applications related to: - the integration of multi-robot swarming concepts in support of future defence capabilities in the area of Guidance, Navigation and Control (first part of 2018 call); - autonomous detection, identification and monitoring/sampling/analysis through sensor and platform networking in the area of CBRN protection technologies and techniques (second part of 2018 call); - the use of Artificial Intelligence in defence (2019).
 

• Call for applications
• EDA Defence Innovation Prize webpage

The year 2019 was another busy and productive year for the European Defence Agency, one worth to be looked back at. The 2019 Annual Report, published today, provides a good overview of the work accomplished in EDA’s various activity domains throughout the past year.   

The report reflects the progress made in the wide spectrum of the Agency’s activities, from its central role in the implementation of the EU defence initiatives (CARD, PESCO, EDF) and the increasing number of defence research and capability development projects and programmes, to the launch of new enablers and incentives for defence cooperation and EDA’s growing interface role towards wider EU policies. 

The PDF version of the 2019 Annual Report can be downloaded here.

Co-funding worth some 5 million euros from the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) has been allocated to an EDA-supported defence research project aimed at developing protective clothing for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD). Proposed by the Romanian Ministry of Defence, the ‘Active Protection Costume EOD’ project benefited from EDA’s dedicated expertise in its successful ESIF application.  

Front-line EOD operators face severe risks when identifying, disabling or dismantling explosive devices, be it in military operations or in a civilian context (terrorism, unexploded ammunition in former conflict zones, etc). To provide them with best possible protection, the ‘Active Protection Costume EOD’ project is developing a special protective suit based on innovative materials and numerical simulations for structures.   

The consortium in charge of the development encompasses STIMPEX S.A., a Romanian SME, the Romanian Scientific Research Center for CBRN Defense and Ecology as well as the National Institute for Research and Development for Non-Ferrous and Rare Metals. 

The successful ESIF application of this project is testimony to EDA’s important role in helping defence project access EU funding opportunities. After a number of successful pilot cases, the Agency now actively facilitates access for all defence-related stakeholders (MoDs, industry, R&T organisations, academies, labs, etc.) to available funding at European level, with the help of its online "IdentiFunding" tool: a user-friendly and customised software application which allows interested parties to search for eligible EU funding for their specific defence projects and activities.
 

• European Funding Gateway for Defence 

The European Defence Agency (EDA) takes additional precautionary measures to those announced on 4 and 6 March, in response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. The measures are in line with advice received by the Belgian national authorities on 12 March and considering the approach taken at EU level.  All measures have been communicated to staff and point of contacts in the Member States.

The following measures are currently implemented and are constantly reviewed: 

• All meetings and events planned to be hosted by the Agency until 8 April included will be postponed to a later date.
• As of 16 March, all EDA staff in non-critical functions will telework, until further notice. Colleagues who ensure critical functions will continue to be present at the Agency.
• Any person with symptoms is asked to stay at home and self-isolate.
• Hygiene measures are systematically being reinforced and staff have been asked to observe them meticulously.
• All non-essential travel arrangements are to be cancelled until 8 April included.  

The European Defence Agency is monitoring the situation closely and stands ready to review or introduce further measures if required. 

‘RESHUB’, a Slovenian-led project increasing reliable and sustainable energy in the defence sector, has been selected to receive technical support thanks to funding from the EU’s Structural Reform Support Programme (SRSP). EDA assisted the Slovenian Ministry of Defence in applying for the SRSP.

“RESHUB”, which stands for ‘Defence RESilience Hub Network in Europe’, is a project conceived and led by the Slovenian Ministry of Defence under the Consultation Forum on Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS) which is currently in its third phase. Other participating countries in the project are Austria, Belgium, Germany and Hungary.  

The aim of RESHUB is to help build a renewable energy harvesting and hydrogen (H2) energy storage capability and to facilitate cross-Europe transportation, which will lower CO2 emissions and contribute to energy sustainability in the EU defence and security sector. EDA was instrumental in helping participating Member States in preparing and drafting the RESHUB application following a call under the SRSP issued by the Commission. 

Throughout phase III of the Consultation Forum, EDA will continue to support participating Member States’ Ministries of Defence (MoDs) to tackle energy security challenges including via energy efficiency and buildings performance, renewable energy solutions and the protection of defence-related critical energy infrastructure. In this context, EDA will help MoDs to develop defence energy-related project ideas and identify available funding opportunities through its “IdentiFunding” tool. Furthermore, EDA will continue to provide the most mature energy projects with tailored support in their application for  funding at European level. 

The successful application is important as it demonstrates that the Consultation Forum, a European Commission funded initiative managed and run by EDA, is the appropriate forum at the EU level where practical defence energy projects can be initiated and brought to the next level.  
 

CF SEDSS is a European Commission funded initiative managed by EDA. This project was established in 2015 with the primary scope to create a defence energy-related community to share relevant information and best practices to reach sustainable energy objectives. Building on the successful outcome of the previous two phases (CF I: 2015-2017, CF II: 2017-2019), the European Commission and EDA launched the third phase (CF III: 2019-2023), which is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 882171. 
 

The European Defence Agency (EDA) confirms that two additional staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. Both staff members have been at home in self-isolation since 2 March and have thus not returned to the Agency since symptoms appeared.

Given that both staff members had been in close contact with the first staff member who has tested positive, the Agency, while awaiting test results, has proactively taken additional precautionary measures to those already outlined in its statement of 4 March.

The additional precautionary measures include: 

• EDA has personally informed all individuals who were in close contact with the two colleagues four days prior to the appearance of symptoms;
• EDA has asked its staff members in close contact to self-isolate themselves for 14 days as a precaution.

All three EDA staff members who have tested positive for COVID-19 are at home and have not reported any adverse change in their health.

EDA will continue to closely monitor the situation and remain in close contact with the responsible health authorities (Belgian health authorities as the host nation, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the EU Inter-Institutional Medical Board and the World Health Organisation) in order to strictly follow their guidance.