Concept art for the Eurodrone project shown at the 2023 Paris Airshow. (Airbus)
PARIS AIR SHOW — Thales has joined Airbus, Dassault, Safran, and Leonardo in the Eurodrone consortium, with the role providing modems for satellite communications for the project, Breaking Defense has learned.
During a press conference at the Paris Airshow, vice president of military aircraft at Airbus Jean Brice Dumont mentioned that Thales was lined up to join the program. An industrial source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the modem Thales will be equipping Eurodrone with its Modem 21 capability for secure and jamming resistant communications.
Eurodrone is a four-nation European consortium, involving Germany, France, Spain and Italy, which aims to develop an unmanned aerial system for operation in a non-segregated airspace. The MALE-class (Medium Altitude Long Range) remotely piloted aircraft is expected to boost Europe’s strategic defensive autonomy.
The program has an estimated price tag of €7 billion, and the consortium has already ordered 20 systems, made up of 60 total aircraft, from Leonardo. “Each system will comprise three aircraft and two ground stations for the remote handling of the drone,” according to a statement by the Italian company.
Modem 21 is a modem that protects satellite communications against jamming. The capability was adopted by NATO in 2006 to protect satellite communications, so integrating it on board the Eurodrone will increase its satellite communication security.
There are two versions of the capability — Modem 21 air and Modem 21 air compact — for secure high-speed and multi waveform SATCOM transmission.
“The project is on track and at the moment we’re focusing on the previous design, and by the end of this year preliminary design review is expected. First flight of the Eurodrone is expected by the end of 2026, beginning of 2027,” Dumontsaid in the briefing.
Thales did not response to a request for comment.
Samuel Bendett, an AI and unmanned systems expert at the US-based CNA research organization, told Breaking Defense that the Eurodrone capability could help provide a domestic capability akin to American long-range ISR systems.
“It is unclear if this development can add to the war in Ukraine for now – it will have to be a mature and tested technology to undertake a mission in support of Ukraine,” he said. “At the same time, US long-range drones are conducting ISR missions, so a potential mission for this Eurodrone could be ISR as well.”
