The EU wants to help build a UAS that supports a range of capabilities, including EW.

The European Defence Agency (EDA) is seeking to support the development of a fixed-wing “multi-mission” UAS (M2UAS) under a new project, an 18 August tender call from the authority has revealed.

Along with supporting air-launched effects, the system should be capable of performing different types of missions, including electronic warfare (EW), air-to-air refuelling (AAR), and C4ISTAR - which covers command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.  

Explaining the purpose of the project, the EDA notes that development of military UAS has lagged behind non-EU states, meaning members rely on external suppliers. In particular, there are critical C4ISTAR gaps at operational and strategic levels, while cargo drones remain underexploited. EW is also an important area that needs more consideration.

Adding to this, the EDA mentions that “high intensity warfare scenarios, like the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, further reinforce the need for M2UAS capable of carrying over more tasks while keeping the costs at an affordable level in contested environments.”

Considering this, the EDA aims to explore the M2UAS market, identify collaborative opportunities at EU level, and support the development of European UAS technology while also involving military users. It will follow a ‘Concept Development and Experimentation’ approach, with different scenarios, which may include system and sub-systems’ demonstrators, the EDA said.

Four specific contracts will be issued in a consecutive manner under the project as part of the wider ‘Framework Contract’.

What will the contracts involve?

The first contract, expected to last one year, involves “describing the minimum mission requirements and the possible conceptual approach for the development of M2UAS, with an initial focus on persistent category (long-endurance missions, platforms, systems and weapons), including fully autonomous systems.”

Required deliverables include producing a system and user requirements document as well as a gap analysis report.

The second contract then aims to support the development of a “concept of operation and operational requirements for a medium size cargo drone capability, based on VTOL [vertical take-off and landing] technologies”, the EDA said.

Building on the M2UAS concept, the third contract will focus on integrating EW and air-launched weapons on the drone, while the fourth intends to develop an automated AAR capability.

DSEI Gateway News is part of DSEI UK and the broader Clarion Defence portfolio. 
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