The “European Hypersonic Defence Interceptor” (EU HYDEF) is a project co-funded by the European Union, under the European Defence Fund, and Belgium, Germany, Norway, Poland and Spain. OCCAR has been entrusted with the management of the EU HYDEF project by the European Commission (EC) and the Participating States.
On November 20, 2024, the 4th HYDEF (HYpersonic DEFence) Core Stakeholder Workshop took place at Diehl Defence facilities in Überlingen, Germany, with the purpose to evaluate and discuss Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) topics related to the European Hypersonic Defence Programme. The workshop was organized by Diehl as Technical Coordinator of the Project, supported by SMS as Project Coordinator. The event brought together members of the HYDEF Consortium, OCCAR HYDEF Programme Division and National Programme Coordinators and Technical Experts from Participating States.
Despite the project being in its early stages, the consortium is already addressing ILS as a fundamental aspect of the program. This early focus underscores the importance of identifying key ILS elements, such as RAMS (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, and Safety), among others, to ensure cost-effective and efficient support over the entire lifecycle of the HYDEF system. The goal was to clarify how this ILS concept could be implemented in the current and future phases of the HYDEF program. In addition to RAMS, other ILS elements were discussed, such as: Logistic Support Analysis, Maintenance Tasks Assessment (MTA), Technical Documentation, Trainings, Spare Provisioning, Support & Test Equipment, Facility & Infrastructure, Ammunition Surveillance Program, etc.
Participants addressed the implementation of the activities at the different maintenance levels and the selection of international standards that should be uniform for all user nations.
Special requirements were identified regarding the application of ILS activities to both land and naval based platforms.
The positive reception from OCCAR HYDEF Programme Division and National Programme Coordinators and Technical Experts from Participating States, reflects the consortium´s alignment with project goals and the value of the progress made so far.
Another significant focus of the workshop was advancing the development of the CONOPS (Concept of Operation), a process that will continue until the Preliminary Requirements Review (PRR). Discussions highlighted the importance of ensuring alignment among nations to adopt uniform ILS standards that are already well-established. After the ILS session, the different concept and options of the interceptor to be evaluated in the coming months were presented, with the goal of having an interceptor concept refined by mid-2025.
The Consortium continues to make substantial progress and expects to present a robust and reliable solution for Europe’s hypersonic defence strategy, reinforcing its leadership in the field.
The 4th Core Stakeholder Workshop marks another important milestone in European cooperation towards developing an integrated air and missile defence architecture. This complex System-of-Systems will be capable of neutralize emerging and highly sophisticated hypersonic threats in the coming decades.
“Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them.”
HYDEF – Together for a safer tomorrow
