Saab coordinates European development project

Saab coordinates European development project

Saab is appointed coordinator for the MIDCAS consortium who has been awarded a
contract by the European Defence Agency to address the sense and avoid issue,
relevant for the possibility to let unmanned aircraft systems fly in regular
airspace. The value of the contract is approximately € 50 million, of which Saab
is awarded approximately MSEK 105. 

Before unmanned aircraft systems can be allowed to fly among regular, manned
aircraft in so called non-segregated airspace, there is a need for a system that
can see and avoid any potential collision threats. The European MIDCAS project
aims at contributing to find such a solution.

Saab is appointed coordinator for the consortium, consisting of 13 European
aerospace industries, and will be responsible for project management, overall
coordination, and avoid technology.


The overall objectives of MIDCAS are two:
- To demonstrate technology for a sense and avoid system for unmanned aircraft
systems to be able to fulfill the requirements for traffic separation and
mid-air collision avoidance in non segregated airspace.
- In close cooperation with European organizations provide the technical
background for them to establish a sense and avoid standard. 


“The project brings together 13 of the leading European aerospace industries who
will gather the multiple European initiatives on sense and avoid to achieve a
coherent route forward, supported by the European Defence Agency's route map to
unmanned aircraft system traffic insertion,” says Lennart Sindahl, Executive
Vice president for Saab and head of the business segment Aeronautics. 

“Only by close cooperation we can reach a high level of acceptance and a common
European agreement on how to resolve the sense and avoid issue. The technology
is a key element to start exploring the great potential of using unmanned
systems for civil security and military use”

The MIDCAS consortium consists of 13 European industries from the five
contributing member states; France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden, appointed
as lead nation, with Saab as the coordinating industry.


Members of the consortium:
Saab (appointed as coordinator)
Alenia Aeronautica S.p.A 
Diehl BGT Defence GmbH & Co. KG
Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. in der Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft
EADS Deutschland GmbH
ESG Elektroniksystem- und Logistik-GmbH
Galileo Avionica S.p.A 
INDRA SISTEMAS S.A
Italian Aerospace Research Centre CIRA S.c.p.A
Sagem (Safran Group)
Selex Communications S.p.A
SELEX Sistemi Integrati S.p.A 
THALES Systèmes Aéroportés S.A.




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The information is that which Saab AB is required to declare by the Securities
Business Act and/or the Financial instruments Trading Act. The information was
submitted for publication on June 17 at 16.45.