The European Defence Agency (EDA) and BAE Systems Bofors AB, representing a significant part of the defence ammunition industry in Europe (Diehl BGT Defence, EXPAL, MBDA, Nexter Munitions, OTO Melara, Rheinmetall Waffe Munition, SAGEM and Thales TDA), signed a contract launching strategic work on the development of a Roadmap and Implementation Plan for a European solution on Precision Guided Ammunition, to meet CSDP capability requirements.
Precision and Guidance on ammunition is an identified area of strategic importance both from the military capabilities perspective but also from the technological and industrial perspective. Non-EU dependency of Precision and Guidance on ammunition is regarded also as an area of high priority.
The contract, valued at € 350 k, aims to provide an achievable step-by-step plan to develop a more robust, sustainable and competitive European defence ammunition industry, able to provide the military capabilities Member States require. It includes work to:
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identify the capabilities requirements on Precision Engagement focusing on Precision Guided Ammunition;
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map the current Global and European technological and industrial situation assessing Europe’s strengths and weaknesses;
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identify existing gaps;
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provide a roadmap and implementation plan identifying priority measures to be taken with special focus on key technologies and key industrial capabilities to be preserved or developed;
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identify pilot cooperative programs and prioritised areas for investment.
Elements like harmonised capabilities requirements, achieving strong stakeholder’s consensus, improvement of the European collaboration including all levels of industries but also procurement gaps and improvement of pMS military expenditure within the current financial environment are among the key success factors of this study. This is another important step in fulfilling the Agency’s task, given by Defence Ministers, of identifying those key industrial capabilities to be preserved or developed in Europe.