Stand-off anti-submarine warfare engagement

The European Defence Fund (EDF) is offering a grant opportunity titled EDF-2025-RA, focusing on advancing stand-off anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities through collaborative research. The purpose of this grant is to enhance the survivability of surface warships by developing technologies that allow engagement with adversary submarines and unmanned underwater vehicles from distances greater than 40 nautical miles. Eligible applicant types include consortia consisting of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), start-ups, research institutions, and defence industry actors. Ukrainian entities may also participate under certain conditions related to financial support to third parties. The funding type is a grant based on actual costs, specifically under the EDF Research Actions. A consortium is mandatory, requiring participation from at least three EU Member States or associated countries, including Norway. The geographic scope includes EU Member States, Norway, and Ukraine for specific topics. The target sector is defense technology, particularly focused on underwater warfare. Key activities are centered around research, feasibility studies, and preliminary system designs. Proposals must address the need for new technologies in sensor systems, delivery systems, unmanned vehicles, and long-range ASW engagement capabilities. The indicative budget for this specific topic is approximately €20 million, part of a broader call budget of €182 million spread across eight topics. The submission process is single-stage, with applications due by October 16, 2025. The nature of support includes monetary grants to fund research and development activities, with no explicit co-funding required except for some prototyping activities. Success rates are not disclosed, but the EDF grant processes are typically competitive. The primary objective is to foster innovation in ASW technologies, enabling surface warships to effectively engage submarines while maintaining operational readiness in various conditions. Proposals should explore various combinations of technologies and assess their feasibility through studies and simulations. Insummary, this grant aims to develop operationally effective stand-off ASW capabilities while encouraging collaboration across EU nations and driving technological advancements within the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base.

This is a call for proposals under the European Defence Fund (EDF) for research actions related to stand-off anti-submarine warfare (ASW) engagement. The call, titled EDF-2025-RA, aims to incentivize European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) investment in innovative stand-off ASW capabilities, reduce development risk, and accelerate time to market. The indicative budget for this topic is €20,000,000. The call is a single-stage submission process, opening on 18 February 2025 and closing on 16 October 2025 at 17:00 Brussels time. The objective is to address the increasing sophistication of modern submarines equipped with long-range heavy weight torpedoes or sub-launched anti-ship missiles, which often exceed the range of surface ships' organic underwater sensors and effectors. Current solutions, such as deploying lightweight torpedoes from aerial assets, are limited by weather conditions, deck-cycle times, and emerging submarine air defense capabilities. The call emphasizes the need for surface warships to engage and neutralize adversary submarines outside their weapon range at any time and within short notice. The specific objective is to explore cost-effective, flexible, and lightweight long-range stand-off ASW capabilities, potentially using very-lightweight torpedoes (VLWT) and ultra-lightweight torpedoes (ULWT) in combination with unmanned vehicles or rocket propulsion. This includes addressing the challenges of reduced underwater effective range and the need for precise delivery of effectors at shorter ranges from the target. Optimization of surface warship underwater sensor suites for long-range target detection and classification with higher accuracy and update rates is also crucial. The call also seeks solutions that can be integrated into multi-mission or multi-weapons bays on smaller surface combatants. The scope of proposals should include defining a preliminary system design and a plan for demonstrating stand-off ASW engagement from sensor to effector. Different combinations of sensor systems, delivery systems, and effectors should be investigated to enable engagements against submerged submarines and larger UUVs at ranges exceeding 40 nautical miles. Activities should aim to establish a common understanding of the problem, investigate different technologies and available products, and conduct simulation activities to define the most promising combinations, considering effectiveness, technological diversity, and economic aspects. A plan for a way forward towards a full-fledged capability solution is required, seeking complementarity and avoiding duplication with other ongoing activities. Eligible activities include: (a) Activities that aim to create, underpin and improve knowledge, products and technologies, including disruptive technologies, which can achieve significant effects in the area of defence (generating knowledge) Yes (mandatory) (b) Activities that aim to increase interoperability and resilience, including secured production and exchange of data, to master critical defence technologies, to strengthen the security of supply or to enable the effective exploitation of results for defence products and technologies (integrating knowledge) Yes (mandatory) (c) Studies, such as feasibility studies to explore the feasibility of new or upgraded products, technologies, processes, services and solutions Yes (mandatory) (d) Design of a defence product, tangible or intangible component or technology as well as the definition of the technical specifications on which such design has been developed, including partial tests for risk reduction in an industrial or representative environment Yes (optional) (e) System prototyping of a defence product, tangible or intangible component or technology (prototype) No (f) Testing of a defence product, tangible or intangible component or technology No (g) Qualification of a defence product, tangible or intangible component or technology No (h) Certification of a defence product, tangible or intangible component or technology No (i) Development of technologies or assets increasing efficiency across the life cycle of defence products and technologies No Mandatory activities include: Feasibility study on V/ULWT for long-range ASW engagement, assessing their performance (e.g., in terms of range, speed, accuracy, payload capacity), evaluating their integration on UxVs and rocket propulsion systems. Feasibility study on UW sensor suites for long-range detection, covering gaps and limitations in current sensor systems. Exploration of UAVs and USVs for deploying ASW effectors, evaluating the capabilities of legacy UAVs and USVs to carry and deploy V/ULWT. Cost-benefit analysis of various ASW engagement technologies and approaches. Market and technology analysis, providing a comprehensive picture of possible launch platforms for Stand-off ASW weapons and a technology roadmap for capability development. Additional tasks that should be performed include: Exploring the use of UAVs and USVs for deploying ASW sensors and conducting reconnaissance operations. Simulation activities to evaluate suitable combinations, optimal configurations, and operational scenarios. Simulating various sensor deployment scenarios to determine the most effective configurations. Providing a draft concept and architecture. Functional requirements include: The system should be deployable from several platforms, from frigate-sized warships to systems such as Large UxV (all-domain), and helicopters. The system should be installable on missile launching systems in accordance with relevant standards, such as applicable NATO standards. The systems should be deployable day and night, 24/7, and in non-favourable environmental conditions. The system should cover ranges exceeding the submarine’s effective weapon range (>40nm). The system should be interoperable in a sensor-to-effector chain, including interface specifications with other system elements like Combat Management Systems or (secure and resilient) communication systems. VLS solution should enable use with current standards, but not be limited to these. Containerised solutions sharing commonality with other armed services or branches and requiring small deck space, up to 20-foot container size, on board should also be considered. The system should be accreditable according to NATO standards. The call specifies admissibility conditions related to proposal page limits and layout, eligible countries, and other eligibility criteria, as detailed in the call document and application form. Financial and operational capacity, exclusion criteria, submission and evaluation processes, award criteria, scoring, thresholds, and the indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement are also outlined. Legal and financial setup of the grants are described in the call document. Required documents include the call document (available shortly), standard application form, detailed budget table, participant information, list of infrastructure, facilities, assets and resources, actual indirect cost methodology declaration, ownership control declaration, PRS declaration, and model grant agreements. Additional documents include the EDF Annual Work Programme, EDF Regulation 2021/697, EDF Programme Security Instruction (PSI), EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement. This European Defence Fund research action aims to bolster the EU's naval capabilities by exploring innovative and cost-effective solutions for long-range anti-submarine warfare. It focuses on developing systems that can be deployed from various platforms, including surface warships and unmanned vehicles, to engage submarines and underwater vehicles at a safe distance. The research will encompass feasibility studies, technology analysis, simulation activities, and system design, with the goal of creating a roadmap for future development and deployment of these advanced ASW capabilities. The call encourages collaboration between EU Member States and associated countries to enhance interoperability and reduce development risks for the European defence industry.

Summary:

This opportunity is a call for proposals under the European Defence Fund (EDF) for research actions related to stand-off anti-submarine warfare (ASW) engagement. The primary goal is to enhance the survivability of surface warships by developing capabilities to engage and neutralize adversary submarines and larger Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV) at ranges exceeding 40 nautical miles. The call specifically targets the development of cost-effective, flexible, and lightweight long-range stand-off ASW capabilities that can be integrated into smaller surface combatants.

The call encourages proposals that cover the definition of a preliminary system design and a plan for demonstrating a stand-off ASW engagement capability from sensor to effector. It emphasizes the investigation of different combinations of sensor systems, delivery systems, and effectors, with a focus on optimized solutions for engaging submerged submarines and UUVs.

Eligible activities include creating knowledge, improving interoperability, conducting feasibility studies, and designing defense products. System prototyping, testing, qualification, and certification are not eligible. Proposals must include feasibility studies on very lightweight/ultra-lightweight torpedoes (V/ULWT) for long-range ASW engagement, underwater sensor suites for long-range detection, and the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) for deploying ASW effectors and sensors. Simulation activities are also encouraged to evaluate suitable combinations and operational scenarios.

The functional requirements for the developed systems include deployability from various platforms, installation on missile launching systems, 24/7 operability in adverse conditions, coverage of ranges exceeding the submarine's weapon range, interoperability in a sensor-to-effector chain, and accreditation according to NATO standards.

The call is open to consortia of entities from EU Member States and EDF Associated Countries. The funding amount for the specific topic EDF-2025-RA is €20 million. The submission deadline is October 16, 2025. This initiative aims to incentivize the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) to invest in innovative stand-off ASW engagement capabilities, reduce development risk, and accelerate the time to market for these critical defense technologies.