STEWART PENNEY / MUNICH
EADS is working to persuade European governments to create common unmanned air vehicle (UAV) requirements as the company moves to increase its unmanned systems activities, including work on datalinks, sensors, ground infrastructure and platforms.
Dr Thomas Enders, EADS executive vice-president defence and civil systems, says the company is "in the early phases of discussions" with European governments, "not just France and Germany, but genuinely European".
Enders notes that the European Union and NATO want members to close capability gaps with the USA and to develop joint programmes to fulfil common needs. He adds that a letter of intent signed by the defence ministers from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the UK at the Farnborough air show in 2000 committed the six to harmonise military requirements.
Enders says UAVs are "clearly" a growth area but the necessary development investment means more than one customer will be needed before EADS can establish a viable business.
Enders says that in the near term, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms - principally high altitude, long endurance (HALE) and medium-altitude, long- endurance (MALE) UAVs - are the priority while unmanned combat air vehicles are further away.
EADS has been working with Northrop Grumman on a Euro Hawk version of the RQ-4A Global Hawk HALE UAV and has developed the Eagle MALE UAV from Israel Aircraft Industries' Heron. The company has invested €30 million ($28 million) in developing the HALE and MALE.
Source: Flight International
