European Defence Agency

🔋 If you think hybrid technology is just for saving fuel on your morning commute, think again. #Europe's armed forces are making significant strikes in this field, and it’s not just about fuel efficiency. Imagine infantry vehicles gliding across the terrain, whisper-quiet, with meanwhile reduced fuel consumption. That is the promise of #hybrid military tech. Over the past 15 months, the second phase of the Hybrid Drive Train Demonstrator (HybriDT II) project has been seeking to turn this vision into reality. On 26 November, the project successfully concluded with a final meeting at the Dutch Army base in Oirschot. The research focused on both wheeled vehicles, specifically 8×8 and 6×6 Infantry Fighting Vehicles (#IFVs), and tracked vehicles. Launched under the CapTech Ground Systems framework of the EDA’s Research and Innovation Directorate, HybriDT II, aims to enhance #maneuverability, improve energy #efficiency, cut fuel #consumption, and lower #emissions. HybriDT II brought together several Member States, with Germany leading the initiative. Austria, the Netherlands, Poland, and Slovenia also participated. The project was carried out by a consortium of 13 industrial and research entities, including AVL as the project leader and General Dynamics European Land Systems from Austria. Other contributors included Germany’s AVL Schrick, AVL Software and Functions GmbH, and the Fraunhofer ICT; the Dutch firms DNV, TNO, and VDL Groep; Poland’s Military University of Technology and Huta Stalowa Wola S.A./HSW S.A., and AVL in Slovenia, Elaphe Propulsion Technologies Ltd., and the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.  HybriDT II’s journey is far from over. The next phase, HybriDT III, will tackle the remaining challenges and further advance hybrid technology for #military applications. ➡️ For further details about HybriDT II: https://lnkd.in/dYxeGYqV ➡️ Discover more about CapTech Ground Systems: https://lnkd.in/d3DFyHjW  #EUdefence #StrongerTogether #innovation

🔐 As cyber and hybrid threats evolve, understanding their intersection has become increasingly important. From 25 to 29 November, the European Defence Agency (#EDA), in collaboration with the European Security and Defence College (ESDC) and The European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (Hybrid CoE) organized and executed the third iteration of the course "The Contribution of Cyber in Hybrid Conflict” in Helsinki. The event brought together 26 participants, which represented a diverse group of high-ranking civilian, military, law enforcement, and diplomatic personnel from EU Member States, national authorities, EU institutions, delegations, and various other EU bodies, to deepen their understanding of the growing convergence between #cyber and #hybrid threats. The course featured a decision-making tabletop exercise (#TTX), which challenged participants to apply their knowledge in a multi-turn adversarial scenario. They worked collaboratively to analyze emerging crisis situations, develop strategic responses to #HybridThreats, and employ national power tools to achieve policy objectives. This year's exercise also drew on lessons from real-world events, including Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and China's actions in the Pacific region, with the support of guest speakers from Ukraine and Japan emphasizing thereby the global relevance of addressing the evolving and interconnected challenges of cyber and hybrid threats. Recognized by the EU, EDA, and ESDC, the course is part of ongoing efforts to enhance collective resilience against cyber and hybrid threats. #SecurityCollaboration #CyberSecurity #CyberDefence #EUdefence #StrongerTogether

An unusual object streaks across the sky, sparking curiosity from the ground. Not a bird, not a plane – but a drone. For the armed forces, drones - formally referred to as Unmanned Aircraft Systems (#UAS) - fly above the battlefield and beyond. The first UAS Symposium, held on 5-6 December at the European Defence Agency, brought together experts, intergovernmental organisations, and operators from across Europe to explore ways to advance and share information on UAS while enhancing standardisation, safety, and Member States’ collaboration. Organised under EDA’s UAS operational users working group, the #symposium included lessons from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and shared effective #tactics, #techniques, and #procedures.  The initiative sought to bring UAS users closer together, enhance operator training, improve feedback from the field and promote the exchange of lessons learned and best practices. By leveraging expertise and real-world experiences, the aim is to establish a unified and effective approach to UAS #deployment and #innovation. ➡️ For more information about UAS integration: https://lnkd.in/eAcEbxQn #EUdefence #drones

✍️ The development of a strong and technologically advanced defence industry is a cornerstone of Europe’s #security and #defence capability. To support the sector's growth, the Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS) has launched two critical surveys. One survey is addressed to universities, educational providers and other organisations that engage young professionals and students, while the other gathers insights from the workforce in the #EUdefence industrial sector (including research institute and procurement organisations). Use this opportunity to share your insights and contribute to these important efforts. ➡️ Survey for professionals: https://lnkd.in/eykhw3Qe ➡️ Survey for students/young professionals: https://lnkd.in/erHm3qJ6 📷: European Commission

🛡️ The European Defence Agency (#EDA) is proud to announce that the 2024-2025 EDSTAR Expert Groups cycle has just started. For two days, EDA welcomed experts from Participating Member States' National Defence Administrations and from European industry, nominated by their respective national Ministry of Defence, to work on selecting “Best-Practice” standards for the six following Technical Domains:    🔹System Life Cycle Management  🔹Obsolescence Management  🔹Water Purification  🔹Packaging  🔹System Architecture  🔹Life Cycle Technical Documentation     EDA Expert Groups identify and select “Best-Practice” standards in defence to be referenced in the European Defence Standards Reference System (#EDSTAR) platform. EDSTAR is an EDA tool created for Member States to enhance defence capability development, joint procurement and interoperability, while also ensuring complementarity with NATO. This activity is performed in close collaboration with CEN and CENELEC and supported by the AFNOR Group.     You can still join and contribute to #EDSTAR with your expertise, by contacting your national Ministry of Defence.  #EUDefence #StrongerTogether

📢 The European Defence Agency (#EDA) has published today its latest annual Defence Data report, detailing defence spending from all 27 EU Member States. At a record €279 billion, 2023 European defence spending increased by 10% on the previous year, marking the ninth year of consecutive growth. Twenty-two of the Member States increased defence expenditure, with 11 increasing spending by over 10%.   “The European Union is making strides in defence investments, spurred by the urgency of the threats we face,” said EDA’s Chief Executive Jiří Šedivý. ➡️Read the press release: https://lnkd.in/dBD3gQfz ➡️Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/dJUmXv_i #EUdefence #StrongerTogether

🛰 Space has become a crucial domain, where satellites play a vital role in communication, navigation, and intelligence. From supporting everyday technologies to enhancing military capabilities, the growing reliance on space systems is shaping the future of #defence and #security. Last week, Warsaw, Poland, became the hub of innovation and collaboration in space defence. From 26 to 28 November, the 6th CapTech Space Industry Workshop and Meeting, hosted by the Polish Ministry of National Defence and Łukasiewicz - ILOT, and led by the European Defence Agency (EDA), brought together over 120 experts from governments, research organizations, academia, and industry across Europe. EDA, boosting R&T collaboration in the crossroad between space and defence, facilitated discussions that focused on the 2025 Project Portfolio, which includes 11 collaborative initiatives worth €57M, co-funded by Member States, with three projects already launched and eight under development. Participants also explored updates on the #HEDI proof-of-concept prototype for Very Low Earth Orbit (#VLEO) satellite systems, the joint EDA-SatCen study on Digital Twins for Security & Defence, and the ongoing CapTech Space CAT-b project “Autonomous Space-based Situational Awareness and Artificial Intelligence” (#ASSAI), dealing with the application of Artificial Intelligence to improve Space Situational Awareness (#SSA). The meetings included a presentation from the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) about their activities related to space defence. ➡️Learn more about EDA’s CapTech Space: https://lnkd.in/dpjH84RV #EUdefence #EUSSSD #EUDefenceIndustry #space

We warmly welcome and congratulate Kaja Kallas on her new role as the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs & Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission. 🇪🇺 In her new capacity, Kaja Kallas is also the Head of the European Defence Agency (#EDA), where she chairs the Ministerial Steering board, strengthening EU’s military capabilities and shaping the future of #EUdefence. Prior to becoming HR/VP and Head of EDA, Kaja Kallas served as the prime minister of Estonia from 2021 to 2024, making history as the first woman to hold this position in the country. Tere tulemast! ➡️ More on Kaja Kallas' role as HR/VP: https://lnkd.in/e_frBHxw

Last week the European Defence Agency held its 9th session of the European Defence Standardisation Ccommittee (#EDSC). The EDSC oversees #EDA standardisation activities, as well as its platform the European Defence Standards Reference System (#EDSTAR), to strengthen defence capability development, joint procurement and interoperability between EU Member States. This session saw the participation of relevant partners including Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD), CEN and CENELEC, Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW), EUROCAE, Frontex, NATO, and the United States Department of Defense.    EDA works for, and with Member States, on defence standardisation to bring defence capabilities into alignment so they can work together, in complementarity with NATO. The aim is also to strengthen Europe’s resilience and defence industrial base. ➡️ Learn more about EDA’s work on European defence standardisation: https://lnkd.in/dZY-t4FD #EUdefence #standardisation #StrongerTogether  

 📢 Great news for defence standardisation collaboration   The 2023-2024 Review Cycle of #EDSTAR Expert Groups was successfully concluded this November. This year's edition brought standards on the new Technical Domain “Cyber” into EDSTAR. Experts from participating Member States’ National Defence Administrations, and from European Industry worked together to deliver the selection of “Best-Practice” standards on the following critical technical domains:   🔹Information Technologies – Cyber 🔹Armoured Land Vehicle Technology 🔹Ammunition Technologies 🔹Disposal of Munitions 🔹Fluid Handling Systems   The European Defence Standards Reference System (#EDSTAR) is an EDA online tool created for Member States to support defence capability development, joint procurement and enhance interoperability concerning standardisation requirements and harmonisation processes, while also ensuring complementary with NATO.   The Expert Groups identify and select “Best-Practice” standards in defence to be referenced in the #EDSTAR platform and point out standardisation gaps.   Close collaboration with the European Network of National Authorities on Ammunition (#ENNSA), the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), NATO staff, CEN and CENELEC, AFNOR Group, as well as military and civilian experts drove the success of the 2023-2024 EDSTAR cycle. Contribute to #EDSTAR with your expertise, by consulting the EDA call for experts and contacting your national Ministry of Defence to register. #EUDefence #StrongerTogether