Leonardo, a global leading high-tech company in Aerospace, Defense and Security, was awarded the contract 18 research and development projects, of which 10 for capacity development and 8 for research, within the European Defense Fund (EDF) WP22 (Work Program 2022).
EDF is the flagship tool of the European Commission to promote cooperation in defense matters, thanks to competitive and collaborative projects, covering the entire research and development cycle. EDF contributes to the strategic autonomy of the EU and to the creation of a more competitive and integrated European defense technological and industrial base, by supporting, in particular, projects relating to cutting-edge and interoperable technologies and equipment, and by promoting innovation and the participation of SMEs.
They amount to 832 million euros in funds allocated by the EU, distributed among 41 winning projects, against 134 proposals submitted by companies from 26 member countries, as well as Norway. Italy, in particular, has seen the awarding of funds for a total of 31 projects.
The projects in which Leonardo participates have been awarded overall about 74% of the allocated funds for WP 22, equal to approximately 614 million euros, out of a total of 832 million euros.
Leonardo with the significant contribution of the subsidiaries and investee companies of the Group and of Labs/Cloud Computing, has been awarded funding for research and development activities in 11 categories relating to the electronics, aircraft, cyber and space sectors, leading, in particular, the program TIRESYAS (Technology Innovation for euRopean radar SYstem ApplicationS). An achievement that underscores the company's multi-domain capabilities.
Five winning projects also see the participation of companies controlled and/or participated by Leonardo: Telespazio, Larimart, Elettronica, MBDA Italia and Consorzio CREO.
The particularly relevant projects involving Leonardo include:
• Technology Innovation for European radar systems Application (TIRESYAS) related to the study of a new family of multi-domain sensors (air-sea-land) that share both the architectural solutions and the hardware components and software functions in order to perform different missions for the various application domains, fully exploiting the possibilities offered by digitization which also opens up the application of algorithms based on Artificial Intelligence. Leonardo will coordinate a group of 29 companies at European level, including Thales, Indra, Hensoldt, Saab and Italian companies such as the CNIT and other Italian SMEs specialized in the sector. The overall value of the project is approx 15 million euro for a period of 36 months.
• EC2 (European Command and Control System) aimed at developing the future strategic command and control system for the European Union, which will allow the EU External Action Service to reach the level of ambition set by the Strategic Compass. The project, coordinated by the Indra company, involves 21 European partners and will have a duration of 24 months, for a total value of approximately 47 million euro.
• PHASE WEEK (Future Air System for European Tactical Transportation) which will analyze the specifications and market opportunities for the development of a new fixed-wing platform for military tactical transport. The feasibility study, in particular, aims to carry out an analysis of the replacement needs of the tactical transport aircraft present in the fleets of the EU Member States in the 2030-40 horizon and to identify opportunities for cooperative development. Funded by EDF for 30,06 million euro Over 18 months, the project, led by Airbus, will involve 11 Member States and 33 European partners.
• ODIN'S EYE II (multinatiOnalDevelopment INitiativefor a Space-based missilEearlY-warning architecture II) will contribute to the further development of the European Space Based Missile Early Warning (SBMEW) architecture already launched under the European Defense Industrial Development Program (EDIDP) in 2020. The aim of the Member States is to develop a common early warning capability to respond to current and future threats to EU security. The project, coordinated by OHB System AG, involves 38 European partners, will have a duration of 36 months and a total value of approximately 96 million euro.
