The ‘Medium Altitude Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft System’ (MALE RPAS) is an indispensable capability to facilitate international conflict prevention and crisis management in all phases of operations – especially in the field of Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR). Member States and EDF Associated Countries (MS) have already used various types of MALE RPAS in recent operations to provide detection, identification and communication. MALE RPAS could also have a dual use potential.

The EU commonly agreed priorities underline the permanent need to track ships, aircraft and other systems across a wide area of airspace by means of interoperable unmanned surveillance systems capable of operating in all and adverse weather conditions and all types of environments, with assured data integrity. To operate in all types of operational environments, RPAS must be integrated into air traffic management (ATM).

As part of a versatile and robust MALE RPAS, the system should consider the option to incorporate the means for an effective neutralisation of targets that posed a threat to the mission being carried out.

Today, most of the ISR capabilities of the MS rely on non-EU manufacturers in order to carry out their missions. However, due to the sensitive nature of military operations and the restrictions on technology transfer that prevent MS and EDF Associated Countries from fully benefiting from platform adaptation, the development of a fully European MALE RPAS is key to reduce dependency on non-EU solutions and to ensure sovereignty in this area of ISTAR.

It is an overarching objective to strengthen European sovereignty in this strategically relevant area. Hence, this topic is expected to result in a step-changing programme in line with the commonly agreed EU defence objectives and ensuring European strategic autonomy and technological competitiveness in a broad sense.

Specific objective

MALE RPAS reconnaissance includes optical, infrared, radar and signal intelligence sensors and generates geoinformation data. The sensors for optical, infrared and radar reconnaissance are usual configuration parts of a MALE system. As signal intelligence is often classified for national eyes only, it would be preferable to develop a common pod design, which is suitable to contain the national electronics. The integration effort into the MALE system can be shared with a common pod design. This pod design is also a suitable baseline for additional future sensors.

The ultimate objective is to develop, produce and sustain a system that provides this critical defence capability to respond to future security challenges.

In addition, a strong European supply chain is intended to be developed at all levels to promote the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) in the long term. The supply chain should not be a pre-determined black box, but is expected to be open to competitive suppliers in a largely open tendering process, with the suppliers for mission-critical or security-relevant systems intended to be EU-based.

Scope:

Proposals must address a prototype of a fully European MALE RPAS with an innovative ISTAR and armed ISTAR capability to exceed the capabilities of comparable current systems and the capabilities of systems available at the entry into service time or, at least, be comparable with them. The prototype must be tested with a view to further qualification and certification activities.

Proposals must also address the design and prototype of a common sensor pod for the European MALE RPAS, without affecting the timeline of ongoing activities related to the development of MALE RPAS.

In addition, proposals should address the enhancement of a multi-role approach for the MALE RPAS available with different sensor pod configurations.

Types of activities

The following table lists the types of activities which are eligible for this topic, and whether they are mandatory or optional (see Article 10(3) EDF Regulation):

Accordingly, the proposals must cover at least the following tasks as part of mandatory activities:

• Studies:
  • Set up the configurations to be recognised in the design.
  • Define a set of requirements considering the whole products cycle, to be assessed and accepted by supporting MS and EDF Associated Countries.
  • Provide an overview on a suitable configuration for signal intelligence pods for MALE RPAS.
  • Identify, analyse and mitigate critical technical risks especially regarding integration and certification considerations.
  • Perform a life-cycle-cost-analysis and management.
• Design:
  • Cover detailed design activities after the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) until the System Test Readiness Review (STRR) of the MALE RPAS.
  • Complete a full design process for a common sensor pod to be used with the MALE RPAS.
• System prototyping:
  • Prototype the MALE RPAS.
  • Prototype a common sensor pod to be used with the MALE RPAS.
• Testing:
  • A flight test campaign must assess certification and qualification considerations for the European MALE RPAS including the common sensor pod.

The proposals must substantiate synergies and complementarities with foreseen, ongoing or completed activities in the field of MALE RPAS, notably those described in the EDIDP Work Programme for 2019 and 2020 with reference to the development of European Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance Remotely Piloted Air System (MALE RPAS).

Moreover:

• projects addressing activities referred to in point (d) above must be based on harmonised defence capability requirements jointly agreed by at least two Member States or EDF associated countries (or, if studies within the meaning of point (c) are still needed to define the requirements, at least on the joint intent to agree on them)
• projects addressing activities referred to in points (e) to (h) above, must be:
  • supported by at least two Member States or EDF associated countries that intend to procure the final product or use the technology in a coordinated manner, including through joint procurement

and

• • based on common technical specifications jointly agreed by the Member States or EDF associated countries that are to co-finance the action or that intend to jointly procure the final product or to jointly use the technology (or, if design within the meaning of point (d) is still needed to define the specifications, at least on the joint intent to agree on them).

For more information, please check section 6.

Functional requirements

The proposed product and technologies should meet the following functional requirements:

1. Regarding the detailed design of the MALE RPAS, the solution should:

• Include innovative ISTAR and armed ISTAR capabilities.
• Include widespread types of sensors:
  • Electro-Optical/Infrared;
  • SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) with GMTI (Ground Moving Target Indicator) capability;
  • Automatic Identification System function;
  • Personal Locator System.
• Include state-of-the-art means of communications:
  • Secured V/UHF;
  • Air Data Terminal;
  • Tactical datalinks, e.g., L16/JREAP and VMF (Variable Message Format) functionalities;
  • Provision for future ATM and Aeronautical Telecommunication Network (ATN).
• Include reliable and high-bandwidth C2-/Data-links:
  • Wideband Beyond Line-of-Sight Data Link;
  • Wideband Line of Sight Data Link;
  • Narrowband Beyond Line-of-Sight Data Link;
  • Narrowband Line of Sight Data Link.
• Address armament integration considerations.
• Include an automatic Take-Off and Landing System.
• Address growth potential considerations:
  • For ATI equipment (Air Traffic Integration in non-cooperative traffic);
  • Provisions for future payloads within the scope of ISTAR and armed ISTAR.
• Ensure long-endurance ISTAR operations (no less than 26 hours).
• Be certifiable (acc. to STANAG 4671 Ed. 3, Draft Sept 2014).
• Include a ground Control Station taking latest HMI-related scientific expertise into account.
• Be transportable by air, land and sea standard means.

1. Regarding the development of a pod for the European MALE RPAS, the solution should:

• Study signal intelligence configurations for MALE RPAS, specific for European MALE RPAS for a common pod design for European MALE RPAS supporting MS and EDF Associated Countries.
• Analyse possible other sensor configurations, like geoinformation data generation for a common pod design.
• Perform risk management for the development of a common pod, especially for integration, certification and qualification issues.
• Create a set of requirements to be assessed and accepted by supporting MS and EDF Associated Countries.
• Design a common pod shell according to the set of requirements with a Critical Design Review.
• Produce a system prototype for flight test campaign with the European MALE RPAS.

Define and perform a flight test campaign to prepare for further qualification and certification of the European MALE RPAS, and report the outcome in a flight test report

Expected Impact:

The outcome should contribute to:

• European sovereignty for ISR platforms.
• The emergence of a certifiable and air traffic integrated European MALE RPAS.
• Improve interoperability of EU Member States Armed Forces.