Topic updates

22 October 2025
The call EDF-2025-DA closed at 17.00 on 16 October 2025. 26 proposals were submitted for evaluation.

Multiband 4D Radar

TOPIC ID: EDF-2025-DA-SENS-MB4DR-STEP

Type of grant: Call for proposals

General information

Programme:

Call: Development actions implemented via actual cost grants (EDF-2025-DA)

Type of action: EDF-DA EDF Development Actions

Type of MGA: EDF Action Grant Budget-Based [EDF-AG]

Status: Forthcoming

Deadline model: single-stage

Planned Opening Date: 18 February 2025

Deadline dates: 16 October 2025 17:00 (Brussels time)

Topic description

Expected Impact:

The outcome should contribute to:

• The proper coverage of use cases integrating technologies established through the EU industries.
• The improvement of operation capabilities and resilience to future scenarios of EU Member States’ and EDF Associated Countries’ defence forces, in line with their strategic needs and trends.
• Increasing the interoperability and interchangeability between participating EU Member States and EDF Associated Countries and industry.
• The development of innovative systems, which should be more efficient, scalable, and adaptable to different platforms (initially naval but also e.g., in the future ground, air).
• Reducing the cost of the future systems development and their maintenance throughout life cycle.

Objective:

In the context of the maritime domain becoming increasingly contested, the state of the art of naval capabilities and interoperability are key to protect the EU interests. Evolving operational scenarios demand increased sensor capabilities. The radar sensor technology is also concerned with this capability upward trend, under challenging multi-domain threat conditions (land, sea, air, space and cyber).

Over the past decade, significant advancements have been made in fundamental technologies that influence both hardware and software aspects of radar systems. These advancements include among others the evolution of Radiofrequency (RF) electronics, digital technology, photonics, and smart antennas in the hardware domain, as well as the integration of machine learning, multiplatform virtualisation, and cloud/edge computing in the software domain. The integration of these cutting-edge technologies has led to an enhanced capability that enables a shift from a multiple-radar sensor approach to a multifunction radar netted approach, thereby optimising sensor strategy and overall system performance.

At the same time, the use of the electromagnetic spectrum has quickly increased in civil applications as well as military operations, originating a congested electromagnetic scenario, with a fast evolution of electronic warfare (EW) equipment with effective jamming techniques. This scenario demands radar sensors with more robust capabilities to accomplish their missions. The next generation of radar systems could benefit from extending their bandwidth for increased resolution to address strong clutter, low Radar Cross Section (RCS), stealth targets, and robustness against electronic counter measures (ECM).

The objective of this call topic is to demonstrate the enhanced capability of the integration of these technologies in a multiband 4D radar demonstrator to be developed as the basis of EU integrated systems for future naval platforms and further application to ground/air surveillance systems. It should allow EU to remain at the forefront of technology and maximise interoperability by design to operate with technological superiority and to increase the EU strategic autonomy.

A 4D radar is an advanced radar system used in defence applications combining 3D radar capabilities measuring range, azimuth, and elevation of the target, with time or velocity as an additional dimension. This allows a more accurate track of the targets, providing information on their position, speed, and direction in real-time, and improving situational awareness, target identification, and engagement capabilities for defence systems (e.g., missile defence or air defence).

Specific objective

The specific challenge of this topic is to propose a technology integration demonstrator, as the basis for a future multiband 4D radar system that performs simultaneous sea, land, air and space warfare capabilities, and that is suitable to be integrated into a naval platform self/area-defence and combat management system within an air surveillance command and control system.

The development of a multiband demonstrator including a multifunction capability with radar and communications should improve situational awareness and enhance interoperability.

Regarding radar, it aims to show enhanced detection of conventional air/surface and Tactical Ballistic Missiles (TBM) targets as well as new threats including tactical and strategical hypersonic targets and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) objects. The system should be able to be integrated in a cooperative capability network with other platform sensors providing multi-static operation with cooperative remote assets. It should present simultaneous operation in multiple frequency bands, aiming at ensuring the coverage of at least one decade and providing hybrid active-passive radar operation.

Regarding communications, it should provide the capabilities for management of bidirectional weapon datalinks.

The objective of the final system is to be seamlessly integrated within the combat management system and the fire control loop, being able to provide a multistatic capability (the radar being an illuminator or a receiver) and being multifunctional enabling communications to establish datalinks within collaborative signals/carriers. Additionally, the final system should consider the inclusion of innovative collaborative capabilities to augment the efficiency of EU Member States’ and EDF Associated Countries’ forces.

This call topic contributes to the STEP objectives, as defined in STEP Regulation, in the target investment area of deep and digital technologies.

Scope:

Proposals must address thedemonstration of essential elements for future EU naval radar systems with future application to ground systems for air surveillance, covering four main areas:

• Intelligent electromagnetic spectrum management. Using multiple radar bands adapted to the operation and functionality required in a condensed jammed electromagnetic spectrum of operation.
• Communication links for multiple bidirectional links to weapons, effectors and possibly remote assets (e.g., unmanned air systems).
• Full integration of the future final system in a combat management system, with enhanced collaboration with multiple platforms.
• Autonomous system based on optimised cognitive capabilities designed for limited human interaction dependencies to facilitate efficient and safe operations in multiple complex scenarios.

They must include detection of challenging targets, multiband operation, interoperability, interchangeability, scalability, integration in maritime platforms, modelling, simulation, and functional tests among other characteristics indicated below.

Types of activities

The following types of activities are eligible for this topic:

Accordingly, the proposals must cover at least the following tasks as part of mandatory activities:

• Integrating knowledge:
  • Describe interface requirements to assure interoperability between different technological solutions.
  • Define and be based on design standards to obtain interoperability and scalability of the system.
  • Elaborate a roadmap, identifying the technology needs and perspective to de-risk product feasibility.
• Studies:
  • Define operationally realistic use cases (vignettes) and performance indicators defining the Measures of Effectiveness (MoEs) to be used in the evaluation process.
  • Define and model tasks to determine multiband operation of the system.
  • Define the integration into different naval platforms and the expected performance in naval operative applications.
  • Perform simulations to evaluate the potentiality of the multiband approach to the selected scenarios.
• Design:
  • Describe the detailed design architecture and interfaces.
  • Define in details the hardware to perform multiband 4D operation.
  • Design the multiband and multifunction AESA antenna to demonstrate the concept through a demonstrator.
  • Develop a software model of the system to simulate performance and assess its capabilities (initial Digital Twin of the demonstrator).
  • Define the software processes needed to optimise spectrum management in congested scenarios (interferences and jamming) and complex environments.
  • Identify algorithms to optimise performance based on the multiband radar capabilities and address the following specified targets, including necessarily but not limited to:
    • Very low Radar Cross Section (RCS) (latest generation and stealth fighters and missiles)
    • Hypersonic vehicle threats
    • Low Earth Orbit (LEO) objects
    • Small and manoeuvring unmanned targets (land, sea & air).
• • The proposal should develop a multiband AESA integrated demonstrator as a proof-of-concept for the principal AESA operational capabilities (beamforming, synchronisation and calibration), demonstrating it at least in a controlled environment (e.g., anechoic chamber) but preferably in a relevant environment.
  • The multiband AESA demonstrator should include the necessary hardware and software to demonstrate the multiband AESA technology integration and the capability to fulfil the spectrum management for future operational capabilities.
  • Perform functional test on the multiband integrated model to demonstrate its capabilities and smart management of the spectrum.
  • Analyse the results in terms of the defined performance indicators and Measures of Effectiveness (MoEs).
  • Extrapolate results using the developed system model to practical scenarios where algorithms to increase performance based on the multiband capability should be applied.
  • Improve the software model with the results of the testing for further refinement of the results.

The proposals should substantiate synergies and complementarity with foreseen, ongoing or completed activities in the field of advance active and passive sensors, notably those described in the call topics PADR-EMS-03-2019 on European active electronically scanned array with combined Radar, communications, and electronic warfare functions for military applications; EDF-2021-SENS-R-RADAR and EDF-2022-RA-SENS-ART on Advanced Radar Technologies; EDF-2022-RA-SENS-CSENS on Covert Sensing, EDF-2022-DA-NAVAL-NCS on Naval Collaborative Surveillance; and EDF-2023-DA-SENS-GRID on Sensor grid.

Functional requirements

The proposed product and technologies should be a 4D Radar which meets the following functional requirements:

• Operation concept definition focused on challenging scenarios considering threats in sea, land, air and space, interference and jamming and special environment situations.
• Multiband approach, including simultaneous multiband radar operation, aiming at ensuring the coverage of at least a decade from L to X bands and at including smart management of the spectrum.
• Communications functionalities, including bidirectional datalinks to weapon and effector systems and other remote cooperative signal/carriers, ensuring the integrity and security of data.
• Usage of a scalable AESA design to be adapted to multiple naval platforms or in the future ground-air surveillance systems.
• Incorporation of the objective of minimal size, weight, and power (SWAP) adapted to the needs of the selected platform.
• Minimisation of RF emissions without compromising the quality of the functions required (e.g., by reducing the number of antennas on ship decks).
• Conceptual design of the complete Multiband 4D Radar in accordance with the following architectural concepts, to allow for further integration between technologies and EU industries:
  • Integrated modular and scalable architecture (IMOSA), with high modularity and scalability to adapt to multiple platforms.
  • Software multiplatform virtualisation.
  • Use of fully digital AESA in transmission and reception modes.
  • Resilient cyber-physical system, preventing malware and gaps in the cyber, cyber-physical and physical dimensions of the system.
  • A network-enabled radar that explores the sustainability challenges facing digitalisation and military data centres.

Start submission

The submission system is planned to be opened on the date stated on the topic header.

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