CATEC consolidates its presence in the European Defence Fund (EDF) by being awarded its fourth project, after the resolution of the 2024 call for these EU grants, and reinforces CATEC’s technological positioning in the Defence sector.
The selected project is ‘SABER’, whose awarded amount is 700,000 euros, and with which CATEC will develop, in consortium with five other European entities, UAS swarming technologies that will allow a set of drones to collaborate autonomously to carry out a mission together.
SABER (Strategic Autonomous vehicles for BattlEfield Reconnaissance and Logistics) presents a novel idea, an autonomous multi-agent system of aerial and ground robots collaborating with each other, i.e. an intelligent and collaborative drone swarm. This idea will transform aerial delivery and data collection systems for combat zones on land, at sea and in the air. The novelty lies in the use of existing drones and ground robots as part of a universal multi-agent system, enabling scalability and cost-effectiveness.
The awarded project, with a duration of 36 months, will investigate new hardware and software systems to add to existing robotic platforms, improving their capabilities for situational awareness and real-time material deliveries, as a user-friendly service.
“We are very pleased with these results because they revalidate our center’s ability to adapt to a demanding and highly competitive program in the defense market,” explains Joaquín Rodríguez, CEO of CATEC: ‘The technologies we are going to develop, of swarms of UAS with robots as ground agents, will represent an important potential, both in the defense sector and in civil applications that require aerial data and aerial point-to-point deliveries,’ he adds.
The call made in 2024 by the EDF has mobilized €910 million with the aim of strengthening the technological and operational capabilities of the defense sector in Europe. Brussels has prioritized areas such as the mobility of forces, the use of drones or the development of disruptive technologies. In total, 297 proposals have been submitted, of which 62 have been selected for funding. One of the strategic lines of this call has been the promotion of disruptive technologies, those that can replace or significantly transform the current capabilities, in which CATEC has a great experience and leadership.
This week, CATEC is present in FEINDEF showing in its own stand its latest innovations and technological solutions for the sector.
CATEC has already been awarded three other projects in previous EDF calls:
AIDEDEX: Artificial intelligence for the detection of explosive devices and their neutralization. Info: https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-06/AIDEDex%20-%20Factsheet_EDF22_0.pdf
PASITHEA: Hybrid unmanned autonomous vehicle system operating on land, sea and air platforms and units, opening new horizons in the performance of military operations in the marine environment. Info: https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-06/PASITHEA-Factsheet_EDF22.pdf
STEALTH: Swarms of unmanned autonomous vehicles (UAV) to improve tactical and light autonomy in the air environment. Info: https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/document/download/6abd0f72-808a-4c1d-8b2e-b271abdb1db7_en?filename=EDF-2023-LS-RA-SMERO-NT%20STEALTH.pdf
