European Union13 days leftNon-profit, Private Business, Research Institution, Public Institution, Other
Collaborative air combat
EDF Development Actions
Funding Amount
Amount not specified
Deadline
16/10/2025
Eligible Organization Types
Non-profit, Private Business, Research Institution, Public Institution, Other
Trusted by
What is the Collaborative air combat Call?
Grant Description
This call under the European Defence Fund Development Actions seeks proposals to harmonise and standardise collaborative air combat capabilities across EU Member States and EDF Associated Countries. It addresses interoperability challenges across heterogeneous manned and unmanned air systems at functional, software and hardware levels. Funded activities include feasibility studies, design of architecture and interfaces, prototyping, testing and demonstration of service-oriented mission systems, ...
Required Results for Successful Funding
Expected Outcomes
- Shared, consolidated EU perspective on collaborative air warfare.
• Common EU standards for collaborative air combat interoperable with NATO.
• Structuring and development of an EU AI technology ecosystem for military applications, guaranteeing sovereignty in AI tools and libraries.
• Incremental interoperability increase of air combat systems across EU Member States’ and EDF Associated Countries’ forces for collective, efficient operations.
• Better resource utilisation across single and multiple domains and assets.
• Identification of quick wins implementable on current or future systems, supporting cross-border SME participation.
• Harmonisation of EU industrial processes and methods for developing assets and equipment contributing to collaborative air combat capabilities.
• Flexible, scalable mission system architectures (service-oriented) enabling heterogeneous asset operation through standard interfaces.
• Standardised IT interoperability standards (communication, data formats, cyber security) with common entry point and processes for proprietary systems.
• Scalable on-board edge computing solutions for advanced mission management and sensor data processing.
• Tightly integrated manned/unmanned collaborative mission management.
• Dedicated AI technologies addressing certification, airworthiness, trustworthy command and control, and exploitation of distributed sensor data under open standards (ECOA, IMA).
• Demonstrated implementation references and continuous integration/validation approaches, ready for next-generation combat asset development and legacy system upgrades.
• Common EU standards for collaborative air combat interoperable with NATO.
• Structuring and development of an EU AI technology ecosystem for military applications, guaranteeing sovereignty in AI tools and libraries.
• Incremental interoperability increase of air combat systems across EU Member States’ and EDF Associated Countries’ forces for collective, efficient operations.
• Better resource utilisation across single and multiple domains and assets.
• Identification of quick wins implementable on current or future systems, supporting cross-border SME participation.
• Harmonisation of EU industrial processes and methods for developing assets and equipment contributing to collaborative air combat capabilities.
• Flexible, scalable mission system architectures (service-oriented) enabling heterogeneous asset operation through standard interfaces.
• Standardised IT interoperability standards (communication, data formats, cyber security) with common entry point and processes for proprietary systems.
• Scalable on-board edge computing solutions for advanced mission management and sensor data processing.
• Tightly integrated manned/unmanned collaborative mission management.
• Dedicated AI technologies addressing certification, airworthiness, trustworthy command and control, and exploitation of distributed sensor data under open standards (ECOA, IMA).
• Demonstrated implementation references and continuous integration/validation approaches, ready for next-generation combat asset development and legacy system upgrades.
Funded areas
Scope Requirements
Proposals must:
• Investigate and demonstrate solutions for standardised collaborative air combat in contested or highly contested scenarios.
• Build on common EU Member State and EDF Associated Country standards and requirements, targeting medium-term implementation of standardised collaborative mission management to influence next-generation EU air combat capabilities.
• Consider both manned and unmanned combat platforms—legacy and future systems—under an incremental interoperability approach.
• Account for foreseeable evolution of mission systems by defining standardised functional and physical interfaces for effectors and harmonised EU-level processes for AI technology operation, ensuring autonomy in AI engineering tools and libraries.
• Address interoperability with non-EU origin systems and NATO standards to enable coalition operations across domains.
• Optionally plan major upgrades on existing platforms to implement proposed solutions.
• Cover at least the mandatory study and design tasks defined in the call.
• Investigate and demonstrate solutions for standardised collaborative air combat in contested or highly contested scenarios.
• Build on common EU Member State and EDF Associated Country standards and requirements, targeting medium-term implementation of standardised collaborative mission management to influence next-generation EU air combat capabilities.
• Consider both manned and unmanned combat platforms—legacy and future systems—under an incremental interoperability approach.
• Account for foreseeable evolution of mission systems by defining standardised functional and physical interfaces for effectors and harmonised EU-level processes for AI technology operation, ensuring autonomy in AI engineering tools and libraries.
• Address interoperability with non-EU origin systems and NATO standards to enable coalition operations across domains.
• Optionally plan major upgrades on existing platforms to implement proposed solutions.
• Cover at least the mandatory study and design tasks defined in the call.
Additional Conditions for Applicants
Special Conditions
- Single-stage EDF Action Grant budget-based (EDF-DA) call, open from 18 February to 16 October 2025 (17:00 Brussels time).
• Proposals must comply with admissibility and eligibility conditions (page limits, layout, eligible countries, financial and operational capacity, exclusion criteria) as per call document sections 5–7.
• Mandatory coverage of studies and design tasks; optional coverage of integration, prototyping, testing, qualification, certification and life-cycle efficiency activities.
• Proposals must demonstrate synergies and complementarity with EDF-2021-AIR-D-CAC and other relevant projects.
• Use of provided application form templates, declarations (co-financing, indirect cost methodology, ownership and control, harmonised capability, procurement intent), and compliance with Model Grant Agreement and EU Financial Regulation.
• Submission of Part B and annexes as a single password-protected PDF; security scrutiny for classification level of foreground information.
• Evaluation and award according to criteria, scoring and thresholds in call document section 9; timeline per section 4.
• Proposals must comply with admissibility and eligibility conditions (page limits, layout, eligible countries, financial and operational capacity, exclusion criteria) as per call document sections 5–7.
• Mandatory coverage of studies and design tasks; optional coverage of integration, prototyping, testing, qualification, certification and life-cycle efficiency activities.
• Proposals must demonstrate synergies and complementarity with EDF-2021-AIR-D-CAC and other relevant projects.
• Use of provided application form templates, declarations (co-financing, indirect cost methodology, ownership and control, harmonised capability, procurement intent), and compliance with Model Grant Agreement and EU Financial Regulation.
• Submission of Part B and annexes as a single password-protected PDF; security scrutiny for classification level of foreground information.
• Evaluation and award according to criteria, scoring and thresholds in call document section 9; timeline per section 4.
Important dates
Open from: 18/02/2025
Deadline:16/10/2025
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