Belgium – Research and Development services on security and defence materials – MULTI MISSION UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM (25.CAP.OP.033)

The key objective of the project is to support the development of a fixed-wing Multi Mission Unmanned Aircraft System (M2UAS), capable of performing different types of mission depending on its configuration and/or payloads. This M2UAS concept shall include the feasibility of the different operational capabilities envisaged for the UAS platform (C4ISTAR, ALE , EW, AAR) with a phased approach. The project shall be conceived under a Concept Development and Experimentation (CD&E) approach to prove the concept with different scenarios, and may include system and sub-systems demonstrators. The General Objective is further detailed with the following specific objectives (SO): SO1. Describing the possible conceptual approach and minimum mission requirements for the development of M2UAS, with an initial focus on persistent category (long-endurance missions, platforms, systems and weapons), including fully autonomous systems. SO2. Identifying and analysing technology challenges related to the development of a M2UAS for military purposes, deriving from existing and envisaged platforms and related capabilities. SO3. Detecting the limiting factors for a common UAS platform with different payloads and the levels of effectiveness on different types of missions, focussing on C4ISTAR tasks at operational level. SO4. Recommending principles of systems engineering/design with a focus on assuring the cost effectiveness of the M2UAS with the envisaged capabilities, including the “family concept” of M2UAS depending on the categories (tactical – persistent – penetrating). SO5. Describing the current capability landscape. SO6. Identifying potential collaborative opportunities at EU level, in order to develop M2UAS (e.g. collecting the body of work and needs of MS through workshops). SO7. Involving the Military UAS Operational end-users in the development of M2UAS, from the requirements to the operational experimentation. SO8. Supporting the development of European UAS technology, from the system to the subsystem levels, contributing to European technological superiority in the UAS domain. Presently, it is foreseen to have four specific contracts related to four steps. SC2, SC3 and SC4 themes are merely indicative and might be changed: - SC2 – Building on the results of EDA project FS2CATI-1, this will aim at supporting the development of a concept of operation and operational requirements for a medium size Cargo Drone capability, based on VTOL technologies. - SC3 - Based on the M2UAS concept, this will aim at enabling the capability to deliver Air launched weapons as well as developing EW capability on the same platform. - SC4 - This will concentrate on capability development in the field of automated AAR, based on the M2UAS concept.