Sener Participates in 6 Projects of the Latest European Defence Fund Call for Proposals

Once again, Sener consolidates its position as a technological and industrial leader in Europe, participating in six important projects of the European Defence Fund (EDF) in its 2024 call: BEAST, AI-WASP, ePERFECT, AURIGA and NEREUS, thus strengthening its commitment to European industrial collaboration.

BEAST is the programme that aims to advance Missile Systems technologies in Europe through the development of the Future Short-Range Missile (FSRM), a multi-role missile for use in air-to-air environments, ground-based air defence or even air-to-surface operations. BEAST will pave the way for a joint European development and procurement mechanism. Sener is leading important aspects of this project, based on its experience as a design authority in actuation and control systems (CAS) on several missiles in the European inventory (IRIS-T, IRIS-T SLM, METEOR, TAURUS) as well as on the PATRIOT, which positions the entity as a centre of excellence in these mechanisms, as well as in missile systems engineering and navigation.

AI-WASP aims to develop a pioneering AI-based multifunctional aperture and processing unit solution. The outcome of the project will be two prototypes of two different variants of the system to be integrated into small and medium-sized unmanned aerial systems and/or ground vehicles. Sener is contributing with its expertise in electronically-pointable antenna designs, especially in the airborne segment, building on its experience in remote carrier communications in the NGWS-FCAS programme.

On the other hand, ePERFECT will focus on the development of RF-CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor on integrated circuits) connected components in current and future military applications. The project proposes a European supply chain strategy that can provide the Armed Forces with these high-performance components, such as transceivers and processors. SENER will develop a use case based on next generation communications using the elements developed in ePERFECT.

The AURIGA project seeks to respond with a multidisciplinary consortium to the critical requirements of an Armoured Infantry Fighting Vehicle (AIFV), such as protection, mobility, firepower and situational awareness, incorporating innovative and disruptive technologies also with the potential to modernise existing vehicles. Sener is involved in several areas, derived from its experience in UGS and autonomy such as MUT (Manned-Unmanned Teaming), situational awareness and integration.

Finally, the NEREUS project, coordinated by Navantia, and with a broad participation of the Spanish Defence & technology industrial base, will develop the intelligent System of Systems that will be integrated as an essential element of future naval combat platforms.

Rafael Orbe, Managing Director of Defence at Sener, said: “We are very satisfied with the results of the contracts received, as they are perfectly aligned with the three pillars of technological and industrial development we have focused on. Within the scope of the European Defense Fund, Sener is involved in more than 20 programs, all of them linked to our centers of excellence: communications, autonomous navigation, and high-precision electromechanical and targeting systems.”

In total, Sener has been involved in 20 EDF projects since its start in 2021. Of particular note is its significant participation in EU HYDEF, the first project to develop a European interceptor missile against hypersonic vehicle threats, awarded to Sener and subsequently handed over to SMS, and which is complemented by a classified hypersonic technologies project in the 2024 call; as well as in COMMANDS, where Sener’s leadership has been recognised with the coordination of the European Defence Fund in autonomous navigation of ground platforms.