One of the two projects requires the company to develop a virtual platform to boost the efficiency, interoperability, and resiliency of military operations. Credit: © Airbus.

Airbus has launched two defence research and development (R&D) projects, awarded by the EU Commission under the 2021 European Defence Fund (EDF) funding round.

The projects are the European Defence Operational Collaborative Cloud (EDOCC) and EU Next-Generation Rotorcraft Technologies (ENGRT).

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Work under the EODDC project is being managed by Airbus Defence and Space while the second project is being coordinated by Airbus Helicopters.

The company has already signed the associated contracts in December last year.

The EDOCC effort requires the company to develop a virtual platform that can boost the efficiency, interoperability, and resiliency of various military operations while strengthening the collaboration between multi-domain forces on the battleground.

Airbus will study, design, and conceptually prove the functioning of this virtual platform, followed by the development of the first version of the services catalogue.

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It will also identify necessary standards and technologies required to deliver high performance and interoperability to the users.

Under the second ENGRT project, the company will study various military rotorcraft concept of operations after carefully analysing the European armed forces’ requirements for a helicopter that can operate beyond 2030.

The associated project partners will then determine several crucial technologies that are needed to build this future military platform while alternatively considering other rotorcraft concepts and architectures.

Airbus is one of the European partners selected to work on the Commission’s eight collaborative projects announced in July 2022, covering various innovative technology areas.

The company is also providing its R&D expertise for six multinational EDF projects.

The EDOCC and ENGRT are among the 61 collaborative defence R&T and R&D projects that have received funding of nearly €1.2bn.

EDF’s targets is to provide approximately €8bn in fundings until 2027.

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