Leonardo (formerly Finmeccanica) confirms itself as a protagonist in Europe thanks toawarding of 13 projects in the context of EDF defense program (European Defense Fund), which cover most technological areas: space, land, air defense, self-protection, avionics, sensors, cyber, AI.
Leonardo second in Europe
The European Commission has in fact recently announced the selection of 13 projects in which Leonardo is involved11 of capacity development and 2 of research, out of a total of 54 projects, which see the participation of 581 companies and entities from 26 European countries plus Norway.
Leonardo thus confirms itself In line with the Commission's direction, the approach oriented towards a strong involvement of SMEs, together with the strategic choice of focusing on inclusiveness in the structuring of consortia and teams, has proven successful.
How much is the European program worth?
The budget overall of the European Defense Fund programme, for the year 2023, was above 1 billion of euros, with funding of 265 million for 28 research projects and 766 million for 26 development projects.
Italy ranked first in terms of number of winning projects (35), with eight coordinated initiatives, of which Leonardo leads the two most relevant – EMISSARY and E-CUAS – thus contributing to Italy's overall result.
Which projects are selected
Leonardo will lead two of the main initiatives in the space and air defense categories:
The project EMISSARY, for which Leonardo coordinates a consortium of 28 industrial partners, has a duration of 48 months and aims to improve space domain surveillancethrough the development of a network of advanced sensors, both terrestrial and space-based, and a Command and Control system, to support multi-domain operations.
The projecttto E-CUAS aims to design and validate a complete anti-drone solution in three scenarios (fixed, mobile and deployable) through a technology demonstrator. The system will have a flexible, modular and scalable architecture to adapt to various scenarios and will integrate new sensors and effectors. Leonardo will coordinate the project and, together with the Italian team made up of 15 partners, will deal with the integration of the sensors and the validation of the solution through simulation activities and physical demonstration of the mobile C-UAS prototype.
Leonardo's participation in some flagship programs for the Commission is also noteworthy, for their contribution to the strategic autonomy of the continent. Between these, EPC2 (European Patrol Corvette 2), for the development of a prototype of a new European corvette; EXOCA (European eco-System for Outsized Cargo Airlift), which will build strategic air transport capacity; NG-MIMA (Next Generation Military Integrated Modular Avionics), dedicated to the design and demonstration of key technologies for the combat aircraft of the future. In the end MARS (Main Armored Tank of Europe), for the study and design of future land platforms.
What is the European defense programme
The European EDF Program supports companies in the development of defense projects that will deliver innovative and interoperable defense technologies and equipment. The program offers support and advice to participants throughout the entire research and development cycle.
The Fund has a budget of almost 8 billion euros for the period 2021-2027, of which 2.7 billion euros allocated for research on defence And 5.3 billion of euros per complementary development projects to national programs. Financial support is offered mainly through grants of up to 100% of costs and a bonus system which also involves SMEs and mid-cap companies and the connection with a permanent project (PESCO).
