EDA discusses dual-use of civil-defence satellites

2nd February 2015 - 15:07 GMT | by The Shephard News Team

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The European Defence Agency (EDA) discussed the benefits of a dual-use approach for civil and defence satellites at the seventh EU Space Policy Conference in Brussels on 27-28 January.

A major focus was the agency’s role in the cooperative Governmental Satellite Communications (Govsatcom) programme, including the implication of UAS on space communication capabilities and whether satellite communications are compatible with safety and navigability requirements for the air traffic insertion of UAS.

Denis Roger, director, EDA European Synergies & Innovation (ESI), said: 'A common set of requirements has been approved by participating Member States in 2014. The European Defence Agency is now preparing the technical studies that will allow us to offer options to Member States by late 2016, early 2017.'

Roger highlighted that the Govsatcom programme will need to benefit from a dual approach that covers both military and civil needs, stressing that civil and military users need closely coordinate with each other in the field of cyber defence. This close coordination needs to be taken into account at the very beginning of any new programme initiative.

He concluded saying that progress in utilising civil-military synergies does not diminish the need for specific defence research. He said that core defence research had to be pursued through the full use of EU funding instruments, along with dual-use initiatives in the space domain.

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