May 20 – The European industry is ready to develop a new generation of drones, MALE2020. Eleven months after the first declaration in favor of the development of a European drone, presented at the Paris Air Show in 2013, three major aviation companies in Europe have completed the first phase of the project, defining and establishing more details for a common approach. Airbus Defence and Space, Dassault Aviation and Alenia Aermacchi, a Finmeccanica company, delivered to the Ministries of Defense of France, Germany and Italy a proposal for an “advanced unmanned aircraft system (UAS – European Unmanned Aerial System).” The offer includes a definition phase, already developed by the team and supported by an industrial agreement between the three companies for investments and duties. During the definition phase the three countries should develop, in collaboration with the respective air forces and the European industry, their requirements for the development of a European drone and to minimize technical and financial risks. The timetable indicates that a reliable and certifiable solution could be ready by 2020. Giuseppe Gordo, CEO of Alenia Aermacchi, said: “this is a clear opportunity for the Air Force to use an autonomous system for monitoring that can to meet the operational requirements of the future. This is the time to push the technology beyond current levels and ensure the ability for Europe to develop a new generation of aircraft defense systems within our industry, while maintaining the current high level of talent and experience.”
