Airbus has been tasked to manage four research and development projects under the European Defense Fund’s 41 initiatives designed to contribute to the European Union’s strategic autonomy and strengthen the region’s defense technologies and industrial base.
The European Commission finalized 37 EDF grant agreements in December and signed four strategic defense R&D contribution agreements with the European Defence Agency and the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation for a total of $896 million in EU funding for the 41 projects.
According to Airbus, its assigned projects have a $43.8 million EDF allocation with additional co-funding from EU member states. The R&D projects it will coordinate are geared to support sea, air and land defense capabilities; space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; and regional cybersecurity.
Airbus’ assigned projects include the Single European Sky and Interoperability, seeking to harmonize air traffic management across EU countries, and the European Cyber Information warfare toolbox, which is aimed toward countering and detecting cyberthreats.
The company is also tasked to coordinate R&D for the EDF’s Space-based Persistent ISR for Defence and the Europe Reinforcement and Future Air System for European Tactical Transportation.
In January 2023, Airbus launched an EDF R&D project for the European Defence Operational Collaborative Cloud, along with Airbus Helicopters’ coordination work in the EU Next Generation Rotorcraft Technologies Project.