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An-124
A consortium led by Airbus is to study options to provide Europe with a strategic airlift capability that could replace the need to use the declining fleet of Antonov An-124s.
The European System for Outsized Cargo Airlift (ESOCA) study is one of 54 joint European defense research and development projects approved for funding by the European Commission through the European Defense Fund (EDF).
Just more than €1 billion ($1.08 billion) is being provided by the EDF through the projects from the 2023 EDF request for proposals, including around a dozen aerospace and missile projects.
ESOCA appears to build on the Strategic Air Transport for Outsized Cargo Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) initiative, which was launched by Germany and backed by the Czech Republic, France and the Netherlands.
The project calls on industry to “identify, define, and evaluate short- and long-term options for future European strategic airlift capability “and undertake all necessary studies to carry out the action.”
Other participants in ESOCA include Leonardo Aircraft, Spain’s ITP Aero and Safran Aircraft Engines. In all there are 15 industrial participants from seven European countries.
Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Europe became heavily dependent on the An-124s operated by Antonov Airlines through initiatives such as NATO’s Strategic Airlift International Solution (SALIS) initiative. But the fleet of An-124s available for charter has dropped to five, and nations have also lost access to the six-engine An-225, which was destroyed at Kyiv’s Gostomel airfield on the opening day of the invasion.
The ESOCA efforts are separate from the Future Mid-Size Tactical Cargo and the Future Air System for European Tactical Transportation projects focusing on the development of a future tactical European airlifter.
The EDF is also funding an Indra-led program called NG-Mima–Next Generation Military Integrated Modular Avionics–to equip future generations of European aircraft platforms. The aim of the €30.9 million program is to identify new “high-level architecture principles” for avionics as well as the key technologies to support them. Other companies supporting NG-Mima include Airbus, France’s Dassault Aviation, Germany’s Diehl Aerospace, Italy’s Elettronica, and Honeywell’s business in the Czech Republic, as well as Saab, Safran and Thales. Projects will also support the development of swarming drone capabilities in areas under heavy satellite navigation jamming or spoofing and the development of a “standardized, qualified, and a certifiable” detect-and-avoid system that can be used in European uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS)–an effort led by Sweden’s Saab. Meanwhile, Leonardo is leading the development of a European Counter-UAS system in a €43 million program that will develop passive and active sensors and soft and hard kill technologies to deal with them.
Italy’s Elettronica is to lead the second phase in the development of a European standard self-defense suite for aircraft through the Carmenta program. The program’s latest phase, which is receiving some €33 million from the EDF, will design, prototype, and test the system in flight.
EDF funding also is supporting early development studies for a scramjet-powered hypersonic vehicle with thrust vectoring control. The €3.8 million Demethra project aims to explore several scramjet technologies, focusing on aerodynamic heating, reliable and efficient burning of the fuel and the capability to change and control the thrust direction. The project aims to “develop technological bricks for improved ballistic missile defense and anti-access area denial capabilities, based on tactical anti-missile systems,” the EDF documents say. Demethra is being led by Italy’s Hit09 university spin-off company and supported by companies and organizations in France and Germany.
Meanwhile, a program called Demarock will explore the development of an electromagnetic launcher for 70mm rockets, which will be able to eject the rockets from the launcher at high speed before the rocket motor ignites, giving them increased range. The EDF says the €3.9 million Demarock research project could lead to advances in air defense capabilities. The project is being led by Sweden’s Ytsab Defense and supported by the Netherlands Aerospace Center and Thales in Belgium.
The latest round of funding for research and development programs is part of the European Union’s efforts to bolster the capabilities of the European defense industry and encourage member states to work with others and purchase European defense equipment.
Commissioners say there is growing interest in the EDF, with industry submitting 236 proposals for research and development projects in response to the 2023 call for proposals.
“With the EDF, we encourage industries across member states to boost their cooperation and innovation in critical areas and develop defense capabilities needed, including cyber defense, ground, air, naval combat and space—and to anticipate, together,” said Thierry Breton, the EC’s Commissioner for Internal Market.
Grant agreements for the 54 programs will be finalized by year’s end, officials say.
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