Great-depth enabling technologies

• Improvement of EU detection and reaction capabilities in deep‐water SBW scenarios at depths up to 6 000 m.

• Enhancement of EU technological autonomy for protection of critical seabed infrastructure (pipelines, cables, communication backbones).

• Advanced design concepts for integrated defence systems optimised for deep‐water SBW operations.

• Delivery of:
– Numerical models and simulation tools validating component performance under deep‐sea conditions.
– Feasibility studies and market analyses identifying viable deep‐water technologies and cost‐effective deployment strategies.
– Technical specifications and concept designs for UUV platforms, sensor suites, communication networks, C2 architectures, energy autonomy solutions, and underwater IFF systems at TRL 5.
– Partial risk‐reduction test results demonstrating material and component resilience under high pressure.
– Autonomous navigation algorithms and data fusion frameworks for multi‐layer ISR and situational awareness.
– Roadmaps for layered defensive deployments and critical area monitoring around EU undersea assets.

• Objective: Conduct a concept‐phase study and evaluation of technologies enabling unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), detection, warning, communication, and weapon systems (and fixed monitoring elements) to operate effectively in Seabed Warfare (SBW) missions at depths up to 6 000 m.

• Technology Readiness Level: Proposals must target TRL 5 by project end.

• Use‐Case Definition: Identify and justify defence use cases, demonstrating relevance of proposed technologies against alternative solutions and deployment cost considerations.

• Layered Defence Depth: Define and map multi‐layered defensive zones; identify critical subsea infrastructure areas requiring extended monitoring and protection.

• Mandatory Coverage: All proposals must include the prescribed “Generating Knowledge” and “Studies” tasks; may optionally include “Integrating Knowledge” and “Design” tasks.

• Focus: Deep‐water SBW scenarios; pressure‐tolerant, miniaturised components; long‐term underwater persistence; autonomous navigation without external positioning; enhanced seabed‐to‐seabed and seabed‐to‐surface communication (fibre optic, ultra-low frequency acoustics).

• Justification: Contextualise work within existing EU/NATO initiatives (PESCO, EDF, JCG MUS, Smart Defence) and ensure complementarity with prior EDF topics (e.g., EDF-2023-DA-UWW-ASW).