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15 June 22. Half-autonomous ships and space systems top European Defence Fund’s 2023 wish list.
The European Commission is looking for companies to develop new technology worth nearly €1 bn starting in 2023, with a semi-autonomous naval vessel and space-based early warning capabilities topping the list of demands.
The Commission’s directorate-general for defense industry and space (DG DEFIS) last week released its call for proposals for the European Defence Fund’s 2022 work program. The package is worth a cumulative €924 m ($969 m), François Arbault, leader of defense industry efforts at the directorate, said during a June 14 briefing at the biennial Eurosatory trade conference outside of Paris.
According to his presentation, the Commission is looking for solutions in 33 topic areas as part of this year’s EDF round. Among some major planned investments, the office has earmarked €65 m ($68 m) to develop a semi-autonomous vessel and an equal amount to “naval collaborative surveillance.”
The Commission is looking to invest a cumulative €150 m ($156 m) in space-related assets, to include €90 m ($94 m) in a space-based early warning capability, €40 m ($42 m) in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, and €20 m ($21 m) for research efforts related to a responsive space system. About €70 m ($73 m) is set aside for cyber capabilities, including an information warfare toolbox and improved resiliency systems.
In ground and airborne matters, the Commission has earmarked €50 m ($52 m) to develop “collaborative ground combat” solutions, and €40 m ($42 m) for airborne electronic warfare solutions. There are also opportunities on the research side to support undersea warfare solutions, sensor development, and disruptive technologies such as adaptive camouflage.
Consortia made up of eligible entities based in the European Union and Norway can begin submitting their bids on June 21, and the deadline for submissions is Nov. 24. More information on the envisioned capabilities can be found on the EDF website.
The Commission is looking not only for consortia made up of traditional defense players, but is interested in “massively” lowering the barrier of entry for non-traditional industry partners and startup companies to contribute to European defense efforts, Arbault added.
“That will hopefully also result in more joint procurement by the member states, and step by step, we’ll have a more streamlined industrial base, which is what we absolutely need to be on par with our major partners in the world,” he said.
The EDF team is “almost forcing” EU member states to get together and jointly define their capability needs to inform the annual core proposal form that will be shared with industry, he added. “It’s already quite a breakthrough to nudge member states into sitting at the same table to define jointly what it is that we see as our top priorities.”
(Source: Defense News)
14 June 22. Nations huddle to clarify access rules for $523 m buy-European fund.
European Union officials are expected to meet with member nation delegates this week to craft ground rules for a €500 m (U.S. $523 m) fund envisioned to promote quick purchases of bloc-made military equipment.
The fund, if it works, could provide European countries with another source to replace equipment sent to Ukraine, as American and Israeli companies, for example, are champing at the bit to restock Europe’s arsenals.
But the mechanisms for dishing out procurement subsidies through the fund remain murky, with questions remaining about the scope of financial support and the definition of eligible purchases.
The European Defence Agency chief executive, Ji?í Šedivý, told Defense News his assignment, handed down May 31, to set up a governance structure and funding instrument, in concert with the European Commission, to quickly fill capability gaps remains “very fresh.”
“We are talking to the member states, asking them to identify on their part their most urgent needs in terms of replenishment,” he said in an interview after visiting the Eurosatory defense expo in France. “And we then will aggregate those needs and requests, find where they overlap, and encourage joint recruit procurement in some areas.”
The tactical task of helping coordinate the rapid replenishment of munitions and equipment across the bloc is somewhat uncharacteristic for the European Defence Agency, whose leaders previously stressed that facilitating long-term cooperation and planning was their strong suit.
For Šedivý, though, the new effort is partly about getting nations interested in thinking of their defense from a common perspective.
“This is to encourage joint procurement by member states and joint procurement from European companies,” he said. “So it has, I would say, a dual purpose: first of all to help member states reestablish force readiness and their stocks, but at the same time to encourage cooperation and encourage involvement and strengthening of the European industrial base.”
European leaders kicked off a new wave of defense-boosting measures at their March 10-11 summit in Versailles, about two weeks after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Since then, EU officials have conducted a study of capability gaps — and quick fixes for addressing them. Last month, they unveiled a list of urgent investment priorities that includes replenishing military stockpiles, replacing Soviet-era legacy equipment, and “reinforcing” air and missile defense capabilities.
Meanwhile, the European Defence Agency is also tackling of a review of its Capability Development Plan, a kind of blueprint for guiding the EU’s defense investment decisions. The last update was in 2018.
Spurred by the war in Ukraine, the new version is expected to reflect a scenario of higher-intensity conflict as well as updated guidance on working with NATO, which stands to grow with the pending applications of EU members Finland and Sweden, Šedivý said. (Source: Defense News)
14 June 22. Russia’s invasion could return focus on armor and artillery, away from AI and robotics.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could force governments with technologically advanced militaries to reevaluate their investments in areas such as robotics and artificial intelligence, creating a renaissance for spending on armor and artillery, a panel of military leaders said this week at the Eurosatory defense expo.
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Matthew Van Wagenen, the deputy chief of staff for operations at NATO’s headquarters in Brussels, told attendees that Russia’s shelling and force thus far in Ukraine could lead to a greater focus on “hard power.”
“Many fell asleep believing that the kind of warfare that we’re seeing in the Ukraine right now would never [have] happened again in Europe,” he said. “And here we are in 2022, and attrition warfare is going on in Western Europe again. This is significantly different. And I think what it’s going to force many governments to go back and look at is: What are those investments in defense that have been made or need to be made?”
Van Wagenen said some governments have come to believe they could “substitute hard power” for investments in cyber operations, electronic warfare and robots. As a result, they believed they could spend less on items such as heavy artillery, armor and infantry, he added.
While cyber operations, for example, have played a significant role in a series of conflicts during the last decade, they have not appeared to be at the forefront of Russia’s strategy in Ukraine.
“The threat of [electronic warfare], cyber … was no substitute for” the collection of Russian troops and equipment in Ukraine, he said. “This is vital for offensive and defensive operations. So it is directly imperative. The number of soldiers you can put on a battlefield makes a difference. … Attrition is as old as warfare. It is here to stay probably for the next 50-100 years, as much as we want to wish it away.”
His comments were echoed by Gen. Pierre-Joseph Givre, director of the French Army’s doctrine command.
“What is decisive is when you take the initiative on the ground,” he said. “It’s not technology, but it’s partly technology. Particularly, it’s a combination, it’s the art of war.”
Givre said while technology can compensate for weaknesses, such as an undermanned force, as was the case at the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine on the front lines of the Donbas region, massive firepower can ultimately make the difference. (Source: Defense News)
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Founded in 1987, Exensor Technology is a world leading supplier of Networked Unattended Ground Sensor (UGS) Systems providing tailored sensor solutions to customers all over the world. From our Headquarters in Lund Sweden, our centre of expertise in Network Communications at Communications Research Lab in Kalmar Sweden and our Production site outside of Basingstoke UK, we design, develop and produce latest state of the art rugged UGS solutions at the highest quality to meet the most stringent demands of our customers. Our systems are in operation and used in a wide number of Military as well as Homeland Security applications worldwide. The modular nature of the system ensures any external sensor can be integrated, providing the user with a fully meshed “silent” network capable of self-healing. Exensor Technology will continue to lead the field in UGS technology, provide our customers with excellent customer service and a bespoke package able to meet every need. A CNIM Group Company
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