Airbus and the Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR) have signed the Eurodrone project, which involves the development of 20 next-generation unmanned aerial systems.
The signing comes less than a month after the Spanish government green-lit the multinational project, which also includes France, Germany, and Italy.
Among the signing parties, Airbus Defence and Space represented the three major sub-contractors: Airbus Defence and Space in Spain, Dassault Aviation in France, and Leonardo in Italy, while the OCCAR represented the four European countries.
Showcases European Expertise
CEO of Airbus Defence and Space Mike Schoellhorn stated that the “signature kicks-off the development of one of the most ambitious European defense programs.”
General Manager of Leonardo Lucio Valerio Cioffi remarked: “Eurodrone will provide high performance and sovereign operational systems to the armed forces and represents a key constituent of the European Defence Industry as well as a unique opportunity to showcase our high technological expertise and capabilities stemming from decades of European collaboration on military programs.”
The Eurodrone
Eurodrone is the first unmanned aerial system “designed to fly in non-segregated airspace,” which means it doesn’t require dedicated air space and its flight can be integrated with civilian airspace.
Its modular design enables “multi-mission capabilities and significant growth potential, for homeland operations, Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, Reconnaissance (ISTAR) and armed ISTAR, which can be conducted with full operational sovereignty.”
The contract involves five years of initial in-service support and the project is expected to generate over 7,000 high-tech jobs.