Terma part of the EU-funded Defense research project Ocean 2020
The first EU-funded Defense research project was officially signed today in the European Commissions’ Berlaymont building.
Aerospace, defense, and security company Terma is a member of the 42 member consortium, OCEAN2020, which is led by Leonardo.
The high-level ceremony was attended by Commissioner for the Internal Market, Industry, SMEs and Entrepreneurship, Elżbieta Bieńowska, and representatives from the OCEAN2020 consortium. The OCEAN2020 team, which will be led by Leonardo, comprises the partners from 15 European countries.
"Ocean2020 will make it possible to promote technological research in a sector of great interest and relevance for Europe, such as maritime safety,” said Alessandro Profumo, CEO of Leonardo. "Our team has established itself in a competitive environment thanks to a technologically innovative proposal of great strategic value. This is the culmination of an intense and effective collaboration among all 42 partners of the consortium, and I would like to thank each participant for their important contributions.”
Terma’s contribution will build on strong competencies within surveillance and mission systems and provides opportunity to strengthen Terma’s position as developer and system integrator of C4ISR systems.
“It is of high importance to Terma to be part of the first EU-funded defense research project. OCEAN2020 builds upon the expertise of each participant while simultaneously forging new cooperative links between key industrial players,” said Jens Maaløe, President and CEO of Terma. “At a time, when Europe is facing new challenges, this project highlights the key role that our technological competencies play for the security of Europeans.”
OCEAN2020 will see unmanned platforms of different types (fixed wing, rotary wing, surface, and underwater) integrated with naval units’ command and control centers, allowing for data exchange via satellite, with command and control centers on land. The joint and cooperative use of both manned and unmanned vehicles will also be demonstrated as part of the project.
The project involves live demonstrations of maritime surveillance and interdiction operations, conducted by European fleets using unmanned aircraft, surface vessels, and underwater systems. The first demo is scheduled to take place in the Mediterranean Sea in 2019. The second demonstration will take place in 2020 in the Baltic Sea. The data collected will be evaluated by the EU.
From 2021 onwards, the EU intends to launch a European Defence Research Programme (EDRP) under the umbrella of the European Defence Fund with a proposed budget of €500 million per year. The aim is to improve the competitiveness and innovation in the European defense industry and to stimulate cooperation amongst Member States and industry. The Preparatory Action on Defence Resarch (PADR), of which the OCEAN2020 project is part, tests the ability of the industry for such cooperation.
