Programme Category
Programme Name
Programme Description
The European Defence Fund (EDF) is the Commission’s initiative to support collaborative defence research and development, and to foster an innovative and competitive defence industrial base.
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
This topic aims to explore technologies, concepts, products, processes and services related to U-CCA systems in different possible configurations. These U-CCA systems are expected to be combat ready, hence highly manoeuvrable and, depending on the mission assigned, they should also be able to collect multispectral information from large areas, while identifying and countering potential threats in a wide range of missions including, but not limited to, defensive and offensive counter air, anti-surface warfare (ASuW) and suppression/destruction of enemy air defences (SEAD/DEAD), in a highly contested environment.
Detailed Call Description
It is an overarching challenge for the EU and EDF Associated Countries to develop a consolidated common perspective on the long-term applications, requirements, solution concepts and technology needs for an advanced EU Unmanned Collaborative Combat Aircraft (U-CCA) system to support the 5th and 6th generation fighter in a highly contested A2/AD17 environment, also in regards to interoperability with NATO.
U-CCA systems could be conceived as unmanned aerial multirole systems, part of a System of System (SoS), aimed at combined air operations, which are able to act in teaming with lower autonomy levels agents and manned platforms in order to execute tasks in various operational scenarios, while revealing extended survivability capability.
Although development studies have been underway for some time in the main European aeronautical companies, with the financial support of the respective EU Member States and EDF Associated Countries, the added value of this topic lies in the development of a common vision for a U-CCA system and its related high-level requirements.
The U-CCA system should therefore be characterised by a high degree of autonomy and operational effectiveness, a large reconfigurable payload capacity and a flight envelope that allows teaming with fighters, including, but not limited to, with 5th and 6th generation, and support to other future aerial platforms in the context of a SoS approach for future combined air operations, including its expendability in specific imputable scenarios.
Proposals must address feasibility studies and preliminary design to explore new/improved concepts, configurations, mission architectures, flight and mission functions, disruptive technologies related to U-CCA systems, and trusted autonomy levels for effective networked operations including manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) in demanding denied/contested environments.
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
100%
Thematic Categories
- Justice - Security
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
Eligibility for Participation
- Central Government
- Legal Entities
- Other Beneficiaries
- Private Bodies
- Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
- State-owned Enterprises
Eligibility For Participation Notes
In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:
- be legal entities (public or private bodies)
- be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
- EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs)
- non-EU countries:
- listed EEA countries (‘EDF associated countries’, see list of participating countries)
- have their executive management structure established in eligible countries
- must not be subject to control by a non-associated third country or non-associated third-country entity (unless they can provide guarantees – see Annex 2 – approved by the Member State or EDF associated country where they are established).
Consortium composition
For all topics under this call, including EDF-2023-RA-DIS-LDEW, proposals must be submitted by:
minimum 3 independent applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) from 3 different eligible countries.
Call Opening Date
Call Closing Date
National Contact Point(s)
Ministry of Defense
Address: 172-174 Strovolos Avenue, 2048 Strovolos, Nicosia
Telephone: 22 807500
Email: defence@mod.gov.cy
Website: https://mod.gov.cy/
Department of Research and Innovation
Telephones: 22 807755, 22 807754
Email: research.innovation@mod.gov.cy
EU Contact Point
For help related to this call, please contact: DEFIS-EDF-PROPOSALS@ec.europa.eu