Self-protection Systems
EDF Development Actions
Basic Information
- Identifier
- EDF-2026-DA-AIR-SPS
- Programme
- Development actions implemented via actual cost grants
- Programme Period
- 2021 - 2027
- Status
- Open (31094502)
- Opening Date
- February 11, 2026
- Deadline
- September 29, 2026
- Deadline Model
- single-stage
- Budget
- €422,000,000
- Min Grant Amount
- –
- Max Grant Amount
- –
- Expected Number of Grants
- –
- Keywords
- EDF-2026-DA-AIR-SPSEDF-2026-DA
Description
Scope:
The aim of this topic is to follow up and complement previous activities in the field of the next generation self-protection systems in order to increase the survivability of fixed wing and rotary wing, combat or non-combat aircraft in hostile environments.
This topic is aimed at modular integration with both fixed and rotary wing aircraft, providing protection against direct and indirect threats based on open architecture and international standards, while protecting sensitive data and ensuring compatibility with other platforms. Key features include automatic coordination of countermeasures, threat detection and classification, and the ability to operate in complex environments. For indirect threats, the system should gather intelligence, disrupt enemy tracking and enable collaborative protection with other platforms.
This topic contributes to the STEP objectives as defined in the STEP Regulation in the target investment area of defence technologies.
Targeted types of activities: Design, system prototyping, testing and qualification, not excluding upstream and downstream activities eligible for development actions.
Indicative budget: EUR 24 000 000 for this topic under the EDF-2026-DA call.
Indicative number of proposals to be funded: One proposal is to be funded for this topic. However, depending on the quality of the proposals submitted and the budget available, more than one proposal may ultimately be funded for this topic.
Eligibility & Conditions
Conditions
1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout
described in section 5 of the call document.
Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
2. Eligible Countries
described in section 6 of the call document.
3. Other Eligible Conditions
described in section 6 of the call document.
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion
described in section 7 of the call document.
5a. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes
described section 8 of the call document and the Online Manual.
5b. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds
described in section 9 of the call document.
5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement
described in section 4 of the call document.
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants
described in section 10 of the call document.
Call document and annexes:
Application form templates
Standard application form (EDF) — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System
Detailed budget table (EDF DA)
List of infrastructure, facilities, assets and resources (EDF)
Cofinancing declaration (EDF DA, DA LS AND ASAP)
Actual indirect cost methodology declaration (EDF)
Harmonised capability declaration (EDF DA AND DA LS)
Declaration on procurement intent and common specifications (EDF DA AND DA LS)
Model Grant Agreements (MGA)
Additional documents:
Frequently Asked Questions About Self-protection Systems
Support & Resources
For help related to this call, please contact [email protected]
Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ – Submission of proposals.
IT Helpdesk – Contact the IT helpdesk for questions such as forgotten passwords, access rights and roles, technical aspects of submission of proposals, etc.
Online Manual – Step-by-step online guide through the Portal processes from proposal preparation and evaluation to reporting on your ongoing project. Valid for all 2021-2027 programmes.