EDA has launched a new Medium Altitude, Long Endurance (MALE), Remotely Piloted Air System (RPAS) Training Technology Demonstrator (TTD) project to provide up to nine networked procedural trainers to the European MALE RPAS Community.1
The MALE RPAS Community came into being on 19 November 2014 under a Letter of Intent and looks to facilitate information sharing and cooperation in this important domain. The Community looks to share operational experience and, where possible, to pool and share maintenance of similar assets, logistics, training, doctrine, concepts and procedures. Early work looked to harmonize training syllabi between the European RPAS Schools and to complete joint studies on vulnerability and countering UAS swarms.
In early 2016, it was decided to further enhance training cooperation and EDA was tasked to develop a proposal to improve communication and to facilitate joint exercises. In close cooperation with the European Air Group (EAG) and the European Union Military Staff (EUMS) who were also active in this area. Consequently, a joint programmer was formed to deliver hardware simulators (EDA), improved harmonization and interoperability (EAG) and realistic operational scenarios (EUMS) for MALE RPAS to underpin the Community’s work.
The Agency signed a contract with DCI and DIGINEXT of France to design and build the systems over 2017/18, which will enable collaborative tactical development and harmonization of training across the Community. The project represents a step change in improved interoperability in this increasingly important air domain and the work will be carried out in close cooperation with the EAG and EUMS with view to launching the first RPAS specific exercise in late 2018.
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1 (DE, EL, ES, FR, IT, NL and PO) and to BE and UK who had expressed an interest to join.