Air and missile defence systems

The European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) 2nd call for common procurement actions targets coordinated procurement of integrated air and missile defence systems or components, excluding very short/short-range low-altitude UAS systems, with actions to be completed by 31 December 2033. The call opens 17 June 2026 and closes 16 February 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time, with applications submitted as a single-stage proposal through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Eligible applicants are consortia of contracting authorities from EU Member States and associated countries (including Norway) that must sign a binding agreement and designate a procurement agent; each common procurement should reach an estimated value of at least €80 million. The indicative envelope for the related CPA topics is €150 million (shared across three topics) and the maximum EU contribution is €20 million per project under EDF lump-sum grants.

Air and missile defence systems — EDF common procurement call

What it funds

Scope and objective

Supports coordinated common procurement of integrated multilayer air and missile defence systems or parts (sensors, kinetic or non-kinetic effectors, command and control) covering medium to long range threats including cruise, ballistic, hypersonic, aircraft and UAS. Very short to short range low-altitude UAS systems are excluded.

Minimum procurement value:The common procurement proposed should have an estimated value of at least €80 000 000.

1. 1Eligible applicants: consortia of contracting authorities/Member States and associated countries (procurement agent to be appointed; agents may include national contracting authorities, EDA, SEAP, OCCAR, NSPA or similar).
2. 2Type of action: EDF Lump Sum Grants (single-stage).
3. 3EU contribution: grants of up to €20 000 000 per project (common procurement calls under EDIP typically award up to €20 million).
4. 4Total indicative envelope: listed topics together show €150 000 000 (see call page for topic-level budgeting).

Requirements: procurement must be based on a binding agreement signed by participating Member States/associated countries; cooperation may be newly created or based on an existing framework provided activities did not start before 5 March 2024 and were not completed before the grant signature. Common procurement can be organised as a framework contract.

Apply through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal topic page EDF-EDIP-P-2027-FNLC-CPA-AMDS ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call document, application templates and detailed eligibility/assessment rules are available on the topic page of the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Air and missile defence systems — EDF Common Procurement Actions (2nd call)

Basic facts and administrative information

Opportunity Title: Air and missile defence systems. Call Title: 2nd call for proposals for common procurement actions under the Programme (EDF-EDIP-P-2027-FNLC-CPA). Programme: European Defence Fund (EDF), component EDIP. Type of action: EDF Lump Sum Grants (EDF-LS). Type of Model Grant Agreement: EDF Lump Sum Grant [EDF-AG-LS]. Planned opening date: 17 June 2026. Deadline: 16 February 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time. Deadline model: single-stage. Actions must be completed no later than 31 December 2033.

Primary contact for questions:DEFIS-EDIP-PROPOSALS@ec.europa.eu.

Objective, scope and expected impact

Objective: Support common procurement of integrated, multilayered air and missile defence systems or parts thereof, including sensors (for example radars), kinetic and non-kinetic effectors, and command and control, protecting against the full spectrum of air threats: cruise missiles, ballistic and hypersonic missiles, aircraft and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) from medium to long range, high and terminal high altitude, including endo-atmospheric interceptors. The topic explicitly excludes very short to short range air defence systems against low altitude UAS, which are covered by a different call.

Scope: Activities must relate to cooperation of legal entities in the procurement of air and missile defence systems or parts at any point in the life cycle, and may include establishing, managing and maintaining defence industrial readiness pools. The procurement must be based on a binding agreement signed by participating Member States and associated countries and appoint a procurement agent. The cooperation may be newly created in the application context or rely on an existing framework provided that the activities under that framework did not start before 5 March 2024 and have not been completed before the grant agreement signature. Common procurement may be organised as a framework contract.

Expected impact: Strengthened cooperation among Member States and associated countries, greater interoperability, and development and reinforcement of participants' air and missile defence capabilities. To achieve the expected impact, the estimated value of the common procurement proposed should be at least €80 000 000 and aim to fill capability gaps and reinforce cooperation.

Eligibility, applicants and geographic scope

Eligible applicant types: The call is targeted at contracting authorities and national procurement entities from Member States and associated countries. Relevant eligible applicant types include public sector contracting authorities, Structure for European Armament Programme (SEAP) entities, intergovernmental organisations and other legal entities designated as procurement agents by participating states. While the call text references procurement agents such as contracting authorities of Member States or associated countries, the European Defence Agency (EDA), a SEAP, OCCAR, and NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) as potential procurement agents, consortia of contracting authorities from Member States and Norway are specifically referenced elsewhere in EDIP documentation as intended applicants for CPA calls.

Beneficiary geographic scope: Member States of the European Union and associated countries. The EDIP programme and related Common Procurement Actions also explicitly reference Norway and the eligibility of Ukraine in several EDIP components; this specific topic states participating Member States and associated countries as the actors that must sign binding procurement agreements.

Mentioned organisations and countries:European Defence Agency (EDA); Structure for European Armament Programme (SEAP); Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR); NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA); Member States of the EU; associated countries; Norway and Ukraine are referenced in EDIP programme context for related activities.

Technical and sectoral focus

Target sector: Defence and security with specific technical focus on air and missile defence systems. Thematic and technology areas include sensors such as radars, command and control systems, kinetic effectors (interceptors and missiles), non-kinetic effectors (for example electronic warfare), endo-atmospheric interceptors, multilayered integrated architectures able to counter cruise, ballistic and hypersonic threats, platforms integrating those systems, and defence industrial readiness pools and framework contracting mechanisms.

Project stage: Procurement actions may cover any point in the life cycle of the defence product, including acquisition, lifecycle sustainment, upgrades, variants and parts procurement, or establishing readiness pools. Therefore acceptable project stages include development, procurement/implementation, validation, demonstration and lifecycle management.

Financial details and budget

Overall EDIP Common Procurement Actions envelope: €240 000 000 across CPA calls (EDIP). Topic-specific guidance: The estimated value of the common procurement proposed by each action should be at least €80 000 000. The EDIP topic budget overview lists an indicative consolidated contribution pool of €150 000 000 for a set of CPA topics in 2027; EDF grants for CPA actions award up to €20 000 000 per project in supporting Member States and Norway common procurement actions, as stated in EDIP public documentation for CPA calls.

Funding type, award modality and legal setup

Funding Type: Grant (EDF Lump Sum Grant). The award uses a lump sum model under the EDF-AG-LS Model Grant Agreement. Legal and financial set-up details, admissibility, eligibility, evaluation, scoring, financial capacity and exclusion criteria are described in the call document and relevant annexes and portal guidance which are referenced on the Funding & Tenders Portal; these documents are listed as available shortly on the portal and must be consulted for full contractual rules.

Consortium requirement:Consortium or multi-party cooperation: The procurement must be based on a binding agreement signed by participating Member States and associated countries. The action is intended for cooperating contracting authorities or procurement entities acting together. The call is therefore aimed at multi-party cooperation rather than single applicants. The procurement agent may be a third party (for example EDA, SEAP, OCCAR, NSPA) appointed by the participating states.

Application and evaluation process

Application type: Open single-stage call once the submission system opens on the planned opening date. Applicants must submit proposals through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal submission system following Part B page limits and layout and using the Application Form templates available in the Portal. Submission and evaluation processes, award criteria, scoring and thresholds, and indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement are set out in the call document and the Online Manual.

1. 1Submission method: electronic submission through the Funding & Tenders Portal once the topic opens.
2. 2Deadline: 16 February 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time.
3. 3Proposal format: follow Application Form Part B layout and page limits as described in the call document and in the Submission System.
4. 4Evaluation: described in section 8 and 9 of the call document and in the Online Manual; includes scoring, thresholds and eligibility checks.
5. 5Indicative timeline: publication provides an indicative evaluation timeline in section 4 of the call document; exact dates will be provided in the call document.

Admissibility, eligibility, financial and operational capacity checks, and exclusion criteria will be applied. References and rules: EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, and Portal Terms and Conditions.

Assessment details, co-funding and success metrics

Co-funding requirement: The call is for supporting common procurement actions of Member States and associated countries. EDIP CPA documentation indicates grants of up to €20 000 000 per project to support procurement activities, but the procurement value to be achieved by the participating states must be at least €80 000 000. The call uses grants to cover part of costs linked to organisation of CPA activities; specific co-funding rules and eligible costs will be detailed in the call document and model grant agreement. Applicants must consult the call document for whether additional national or participant co-funding is required.

Success rates: The portal does not publish a fixed success rate for this call. Indicative number of grants is not explicitly provided by topic on the portal; the EDIP CPA envelope and the per-project maximum contribution imply limited slots. Competition will be among consortia of contracting authorities. Applicants should assume a selective process given limited programme funds and high minimum procurement thresholds.

Number of application stages:One stage (single-stage deadline model).

Application templates and documentation

Templates: Application form templates and the Call Document (with sections on admissibility, eligibility, evaluation, legal and financial setup) are referenced on the Funding & Tenders Portal and marked as available shortly. Applicants must use the Portal Application Form (Part A and Part B) and follow the specified page limits and layout for Part B. The Model Grant Agreement type is EDF Lump Sum Grant [EDF-AG-LS]. Additional mandatory references include the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509 and the Rules for Legal Entity Validation and LEAR Appointment. Applicants should review the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual for instructions on submission, roles, and required attachments.

1. 1Prepare a consortium of contracting authorities or participating Member States/associated countries with a binding procurement agreement drafted to be signed.
2. 2Identify and appoint a procurement agent (member contracting authority, EDA, SEAP, OCCAR, NSPA or other eligible international organisation).
3. 3Ensure the procurement planned reaches at least €80 000 000 in estimated procurement value.
4. 4Register organisations and LEARs on the Funding & Tenders Portal and ensure Legal Entity Validation prior to submission.
5. 5Complete Application Form Part A and Part B according to page limits and layouts in the Submission System.
6. 6Attach relevant supporting documents and declarations required by the call document, including evidence of procurement intent and binding agreement drafts if requested.

Key risks, constraints and important conditions

Important conditions and constraints include: the cooperation must be new in the context of the application or based on a framework whose activities did not start before 5 March 2024 and were not completed before signature of the grant agreement; procurement must be founded on a binding agreement to be signed by participating states and associated countries; activities must finish by 31 December 2033; the minimum procurement value target of €80 000 000 is required to achieve expected impact; and eligible procurement agents are limited to designated contracting authorities or organisations as listed in the call text. Failure to meet these conditions will render a proposal ineligible.

What applicants should prepare now

1. 1Engage with other Member State contracting authorities and associated country counterparts to form the required cooperating group or consortium and agree procurement intent.
2. 2Designate or identify a procurement agent and confirm willingness to act (contracting authority, EDA, SEAP, OCCAR, NSPA or equivalent).
3. 3Develop a procurement plan demonstrating an estimated procurement value of at least €80 000 000 and outline capability gaps addressed.
4. 4Prepare legal documentation demonstrating the binding agreement structure to be signed by participating states, or draft templates for such agreements.
5. 5Register all legal entities in the Funding & Tenders Portal, appoint LEARs, and complete legal entity validation well ahead of submission.
6. 6Monitor the Funding & Tenders Portal for the published call document, application templates and the Online Manual; consult EU Financial Regulation and model grant agreement references.

Summary and overall explanation

This EDF EDIP 2nd call topic supports Member States and associated countries to carry out common procurement actions for integrated, multilayered air and missile defence systems or parts thereof. The EU provides EDF Lump Sum Grants to support the organisation and execution of such common procurements, which must be based on binding agreements between participating states and appoint a procurement agent. The procurement should target major capability gaps across the Union and reach an estimated procurement value of at least €80 million. The call is single-stage, opens on 17 June 2026 and closes on 16 February 2027, uses the EDF lump sum grant modality and requires close coordination among contracting authorities from Member States and associated countries. Applicants must consult the call document and application templates on the Funding & Tenders Portal for full eligibility, admissibility, evaluation and financial conditions and to prepare required legal and administrative documentation. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Call document, application templates, Model Grant Agreement and detailed conditions are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal at the topic page EDF-EDIP-P: Funding & Tenders Portal topic page.

Air and Missile Defence Systems - Common Procurement Call

Funding Opportunity Overview

This is the second call for proposals under the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) for common procurement actions in air and missile defence systems. The call is part of a €150 million allocation across three defence procurement topics and represents a strategic EU initiative to strengthen Member States' air and missile defence capabilities through coordinated procurement, reducing fragmentation and increasing interoperability across European armed forces. ¹

Call Timeline and Submission Details

Opening Date:17 June 2026

Submission Deadline:16 February 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time

Submission Model:Single-stage submission process

Funding Available

Total Budget for Air and Missile Defence Systems:€150 million (shared across three procurement topics: air and missile defence systems, ground and naval platforms, and C5ISR and space-related products) ²

Maximum EU Contribution per Project:€20 million per funded project ³

Minimum Procurement Value:€80 million estimated value for each common procurement action proposed

Who Can Apply

Eligible applicants are consortia of contracting authorities from EU Member States and Norway. Applications must be submitted by national contracting authorities or through designated procurement agents acting on behalf of participating Member States and associated countries.

Procurement agents may include contracting authorities of Member States or associated countries, the European Defence Agency (EDA), a Structure for European Armament Programme (SEAP), or other international organisations such as the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) or the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA).

Scope and Eligible Activities

This call supports common procurement of integrated, multilayered air and missile defence systems or components thereof. Eligible procurement covers the full spectrum of air threats including cruise missiles, ballistic and hypersonic missiles, aircraft and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) at medium to long range, high and terminal high altitude.

Eligible components include sensors such as radars, kinetic or non-kinetic effectors, command and control systems, and endo-atmospheric interceptors. The call explicitly excludes very short to short range air defence systems against low altitude UAS, which are covered under a separate call topic (EDIP-P-2026-FNLC-CPA-CDS).

Common procurement actions may cover defence products at any point in their life cycle, including activities related to establishing, managing and maintaining defence industrial readiness pools. Procurement can be organised as framework contracts.

Cooperation Requirements

Cooperation among participating Member States and associated countries must be either newly created in the context of the application or based on an existing framework. If based on an existing framework, activities under that framework must not have started before 5 March 2024 and must not have been completed before the signature of the grant agreement.

All participating Member States and associated countries must sign a binding agreement designating a procurement agent to manage the common procurement action.

Project Duration and Completion

All actions must be completed no later than 31 December 2033, providing a seven-year implementation window from the expected grant agreement signature.

Strategic Context and Rationale

This call responds to critical European defence capability gaps identified in the EU's Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030. European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius has emphasised that Europe cannot rely solely on US air defence missile production, which currently stands at approximately 750 Patriot missiles annually, while Ukraine alone requires around 2,000 missiles per year for its Patriot systems. ⁴ The call aims to accelerate European production capacity and reduce dependence on non-European suppliers.

The initiative builds on the success of the first common procurement call under EDIRPA (European Defence Industry Reinforcement through common Procurement Act), which invested €300 million and leveraged over €11 billion in common procurement by Member States. ⁵

Expected Outcomes and Impact

• Strengthened cooperation among Member States and associated countries through coordinated procurement
• Greater interoperability of air and missile defence systems across European armed forces
• Development and reinforcement of air and missile defence capabilities of participating Member States
• Reduced fragmentation in European defence procurement
• Increased European industrial capacity and reduced dependency on external suppliers
• Contribution to filling critical capability gaps identified in the EU Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030

Key Considerations for Applicants

Applicants should note that the estimated value of each common procurement action must reach at least €80 million to meet the call's objectives. This threshold ensures that funded projects have sufficient scale to meaningfully contribute to European defence capability development and industrial capacity.

The call document, application form templates, and model grant agreements will be available on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Applicants are advised to consult these documents carefully, as they contain detailed eligibility conditions, evaluation criteria, and financial and operational capacity requirements.

Component sourcing rules apply: under the related SAFE (Security Action for Europe) instrument, no more than 35 percent of component costs may originate from outside the EU, EEA-EFTA countries, or Ukraine. ⁶ Similar restrictions are expected to apply to this EDIP call.

Support and Guidance

For questions related to this call, applicants should contact DEFIS-EDIP-PROPOSALS@ec.europa.eu. The EU Funding and Tenders Portal provides comprehensive guidance documents, video tutorials, an online manual, and an IT helpdesk for technical support. An online Q&A webinar is planned for May 2026, with recordings to be made available afterwards.

Broader EDIP Context

This call is part of the €1.5 billion European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) work programme for 2026-2027. EDIP comprises multiple components including Industrial Reinforcement Actions (€700 million), Common Procurement Actions (€240 million), European Defence Projects of Common Interest (€325 million), and the Ukraine Support Instrument (€300 million). The programme is designed to accelerate the adjustment of Europe's defence industry to the changing security environment, increase interoperability, strengthen supply chains, and improve security of supply across the Union. ⁷

Footnotes

1. 1The second call for common procurement actions under EDIP allocates €150 million across three defence topics, with the air and missile defence systems topic being one of three priority areas alongside ground and naval platforms and C5ISR and space-related products.
2. 2The €150 million budget is shared among three procurement topics in the 2027 call. Individual project grants are capped at €20 million per project.
3. 3Maximum EU contribution per project is €20 million, as specified in the EDIP work programme for common procurement actions.
4. 4According to European Commissioner Andrius Kubilius, US Patriot missile production capacity is approximately 750 missiles per year, while Ukraine requires around 2,000 missiles annually for its air defence systems. The US and Gulf countries reportedly spent around 800 Patriot missiles in the first five days of the American-Israeli war on Iran, demonstrating the scale of consumption in modern conflicts.
5. 5The first EDIRPA call invested €300 million and successfully leveraged over €11 billion in common procurement by Member States, demonstrating the multiplier effect of EU funding in coordinated defence procurement.
6. 6The SAFE (Security Action for Europe) instrument, adopted in May 2025, sets a ceiling of 35 percent for component costs originating from outside the EU, EEA-EFTA countries, or Ukraine. Similar supply chain restrictions are expected to apply to EDIP-funded projects.
7. 7The European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) is a €1.5 billion initiative adopted by the Council in December 2025, designed to strengthen and modernise Europe's defence industry, ramp-up production capacity, ensure cutting-edge technology, resilience, and steady supply of military equipment to EU Member States' armed forces.