This European Defence Fund (EDF) topic supports the development of a next generation, fossil-free and highly resilient multi-energy system for military applications, with an emphasis on high-performance energy production, storage, management and distribution. The call recognises that greening future military energy operations requires not only improved energy technologies but also advanced, customised communication and data capabilities—including cloud–edge architectures, 5G/6G/SatCom/fibre-optics connectivity, and Artificial Intelligence (AI)—to optimise energy operations and strengthen resilience. A core requirement is system-wide, standards-based modularity and interoperability across the energy, communication, data and application layers, enabling adaptive and customisable energy generation and consumption that can meet mission-specific requirements.

The topic follows up and complements prior EDF work on high-performance energy systems (including highly responsive energy storage) and targets unaddressed capabilities and use cases for multi-energy systems, such as smart interoperability, connectedness, enhanced security and resilience, and advanced optimisation on both the production and consumption sides. It requires identifying and characterising use cases for stationary military applications, while developing and evaluating innovative building blocks (BB) and functional modules (FM). The proposals must assess demonstrator power and energy targets and key performance indicators such as operational efficiency, interoperability, availability, cybersecurity, and life-cycle assessment—including connectivity to operational-base grids and coexistence with legacy power generation systems. This implies collecting data from relevant sensors and using evidence-based validation.

Mandatory activities include studies, design, system prototyping, and testing. Studies must cover rapid multi/parallel smart charging solutions for large numbers of electrical UxVs (e.g., drone swarms) and their integration into FOB smart energy grids; demand-side energy management targets and constraints for IoBT platforms (UxVs, weapon systems, soldier systems) and AI-enabled capabilities at FOBs and MOBs; assessment of deployable FOB solutions using high-TRL civil technologies and promising lower-TRL options; and the development/validation of interoperable predefined FOB/MOB energy load profiles (preferably using an 800V DC bus) including UxV charging stations, vehicle charging stations, DC/AC conversion, and integrated AI resources for energy production, management and control.

Design and prototyping must deliver an energy system-of-systems that expands to alternative storage and fuels (e.g., hydrogen conversion, storage and logistics, and alternative synthetic fuels), adds advanced digitisation and monitoring/control/prediction, implements robust cyber protection (active and passive), and explores interoperability standards (e.g., MIL STD 3071, and data exchange/control standards such as MIL STD 3071). Demonstrators must show interoperability at hardware, energy grid, data network and software levels, with secure communications throughout. The solutions should be robust across challenging climate conditions (from northern winter to high summer heat), be transportable in military-standard 20-foot containers, reduce noise and electromagnetic signatures, enable plug-and-play, and provide fast recovery/self-healing.

Overall, the call aims to strengthen European strategic autonomy and energy security by accelerating Europe-based development and customisation of civilian and COTS solutions to meet stringent military safety, security and resilience requirements. It also seeks to deliver dual-use potential, enabling transfer back to civil applications with only minor modifications.

Opening: 22.01.2026
Deadline(s): 29.09.2026