Introduction
The CapTech Air promotes research and technology (R&T) cooperation across all areas related to aerial systems. Its core objectives are to:
- draft and maintain the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) for the air defence domain
- foster collaborative innovation among the EDA participant Members States
- generate multinational R&T projects on air systems
CapTech Air addresses specific technologies, covering a wide range of domains, including system design, aerodynamics, propulsion and power generation, operational requirements, training systems, unmanned vehicle operations, and manned – unmanned teaming.
The Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) provides the strategic framework. It builds a shared vision between governmental and non-governmental members on the most pressing technical challenges in the air domain. It identifies priority areas for the next five to ten years, supporting European R&T collaboration.
Technology Building Blocks
Technology Building Blocks (TBBs) are the specific technological focus areas that guide the CapTech’s activities and research priorities. Activities within CapTech Air are structured around nine TBBs:
- Autonomous Air Vehicle Operation: air platforms operations with reduced or no human intervention across a wide range of missions, focusing on adaptive decision‑making, autonomous flight functions, and human–system shared control.
- Cooperative Air Vehicle Operation: coordinated and collaborative operations between manned and unmanned air platforms, covering manned–unmanned teaming, swarming, distributed mission execution, and dynamic task allocation.
- Detect, Sense and Avoid Systems.: allowing air vehicles to detect obstacles, threats, and other traffic and safely avoid them. These technologies include multispectral sensing, onboard processing, and automated avoidance decision‑making.
- System Diagnostics, Fault Prognostics, and Self Repair: real‑time health monitoring, fault detection, failure prediction, and recovery strategies. Enhancing safety, availability, and mission effectiveness while reducing maintenance burden.
- Human-Machine-Interface and Cognitive Ergonomics: improving interaction between human operators and complex air systems or swarms. Addressing workload management, situational awareness, training, and adaptive interfaces.
- Propulsion, Power Generation and Distribution. next‑generation propulsion and onboard energy generation and management. This TBB includes hybrid‑electric systems, advanced turbine engines, new fuels, and thermal management.
- Secure Command and Control Systems: ensuring resilient, secure, and reliable command, control, and data links for air operations. This TBB covers onboard processing, secure communications, data dissemination, and C2 (Command and Control) decision support.
- Rotorcraft -Next Generation High Performance Vertical Lift: technologies for a future military rotorcraft with increased speed, range, survivability, and autonomy, Including advanced flight control, pilot assistance, health monitoring, and system integration.
- Fixed Wing. Technologies supporting future fixed‑wing military platforms. Focus on performance, autonomy, digitalisation, sustainability, and system‑of‑systems integration.
Link to EDA’s capability domains
The activities of CapTech Air are aligned with EDA’s Capability Development Plan (CDP) and its priorities related to the air defence domain.
CapTech Air contributes to several key capability domains, such as:
- Air Combat: Tactical cargo unmanned aerial systems (UAS), next-generation multipurpose helicopters, air-to-air refuelling UAS, and new tactical and strategic air transportation platforms.
- Air Transport: upgrade of current air combat platforms, next-generation air combat systems, armed remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) and next-generation joint precision strike capabilities.
- Airborne Command and Information Capabilities: Multi-mission and reconfigurable unmanned aerial systems (UAS), airborne early warning and maritime patrol assets, as well as medium/high-altitude long-endurance range RPAS (MALE/HALE) and high-altitude platform systems (HAPS).
By aligning with these capability domains, CapTech Air ensures that research and innovation activities directly support the development of advanced air capabilities, interoperability, and resilience across all operational air domains.
Join the CapTech
CapTech Air community meets four times a year. Members exchange information through a dedicated space on the EDA Collaborative Portal (ECP). CapTech moderator may call ad hoc thematic meeting with specific objectives such as preparation of a project or fulfilment of an extraordinary request (topics for calls for proposals, SRA development, technology assessment, project scooping, etc.).
For membership, contact the CapTech moderator:
[email protected]