Importance Score: 78 / 100 🔴
PARIS — The European Commission’s administrative branch has chosen 62 defense initiatives to share €910 million ($1 billion) in funding as part of the latest allocation from the European Defence Fund. The financng prioritizes advancements in unmanned aerial vehicles, autonomous systems for mine clearance, and countermeasures against hypersonic threats.
Key Initiatives and Funding Priorities
Standout projects in this funding cycle include Eurosweep, which seeks to create an automated minesweeping system. Additionally, ENGRT II aims to develop a cutting-edge rotorcraft, while the iMUGS2 initiative will trial unmanned ground vehicles, according to the European Commission’s announcement on Wednesday.
Euclosor Collaboration and Strategic Requirements
“This represents a significant advance in addressing critical defense capability gaps and bolstering Europe’s strategic independence,” stated the European Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubilius via social media. He emphasized that the latest EDF funding “aids both cutting-edge research and development and real-world defense capabilities.”
Launched in 2021, the EDF supports collaborative defense research in Europe. With this round, the fund has now disbursed half of its €8 billion budget, allocated through 2027. This round selected winners from 297 proposals received in response to the EDF 2024 call for submissions the highest number yet.
Inclusion of Ukraine and Smaller Enterprises
For the first time, Ukraine’s defense sector participated in EDF initiatives, fostering deeper cooperation and integrating Ukraine into the European defense industrial framework as highlighted by Kubilius.
The EDF provides substantial backing, with its 2021-2027 budget representing about 15% of all EU defense research and development spending, second only to France and Germany.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) secured 27% of the total allocation in the 2024 call, the highest percentage yet, following previous rounds where SMEs received between 18% and 20% of funding.
Notable Projects and Their Objectives
Rotocraft and Unmanned Ground Systems
- ENGRT II: European Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Phase II aims to enhance cutting-edge aerodynamic advancementsis receiving €100 million in funding from the EU, out of an estimated total cost of €160 million. The project is directed by Airbus Helicopters and involves more than 40 collaborating firms and research institutions.
- iMUGS2: Led by Milrem, a company headquartered in Estonia and part of the United Arab Emirates’ state-owned EDGE Group, the project has secured €50 million for experimental testing of autonomous ground systems. This initiative seeks to develop framework to enable both existing and new military vehicles to integrate autonomous and swarming capabilities.
Mine-Sweeping and Hypersonic Defense
- Eurosweep: Led by Norway’s Forsvarets Forskningsinstitutt, the project received €28.5 million to create a naval minesweeping system with self-governed features.
- Hypersonic Defense:The EDF allocated €78 million for a classified project to counteract hypersonic glide vehicles.
Advancements in Radar and Cyber Defense
- Scepter: A €35 million research program for developing consistent and standardized radar, electronic warfare, and communication systems for airborne platforms. The project is managed by Indra Sistemas from Spain.
- Missile System Technologies:The Beast project, is directed by Diehl Defence and focused on creating a future short-range, air-to-air missile, received €34.9 million.
Smart drones and satellite image capabilities
The fund has also committed resources to smaller projects concentrating on drone navigation and autonomous capabilities in adversarial scenarios. Additionally, four undertakings aimed at applying artificial intelligence for satellite image analysis, including the tracking of military activities.