PESCO PROJECTS

Essential Elements of European Escort (4E)

The 4E Project aims to develop the most important systems of any surface combatant that may be built in Europe from 2035 to 2045 covering five areas: combat system, communication and information system, navigation system, platform management system and Integration of System of Systems. This time frame is set on behalf of the gathered experience for the development of any major naval program for shipbuilding. Nevertheless, during the development of these systems there will be intermediate baselines that could be implemented in the European escorts that see the light before the final results of the project.

The project is aligned with the Focus Area EPC2S and the initial identified systems range from Antisurface Missile Defence, Electromagnetic Weapons, Directed Energy Weapons, Combat Systems, Passive sensoring (including passive radars), Smart Damage Control Systems, C4ISTAR  Multi-Domain combat cloud & Edge and Fog Computing supported, with Cyberdefence and Cyberattack capability, and Advanced Communication Systems  above and under the water, Astronomical Navigation Systems independent from satellite, Efficient Energy and Propulsion Green systems on board with a common fuel for the EU fleet, and a layer for integration of every developed system to configure each ship class as a system of systems. However, it is important to remark that these systems are examples of common systems for future European escorts, but those selected and included in the 4E project will be finally agreed by all participant nations.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The PESCO 4E Project aims to identify, define and develop within a collaborative approach, essential elements of any surface vessel that may be built in Europe from 2030 to 2045.

The project will be built around 5 pillars:

1. Combat system,
2. Communication and information system,
3. Platform management system,
4. Navigation system,
5. System of Systems.

The PESCO 4E project is aligned with the EPC2S Focus Area, identifying a set of opportunities for collaboration on technologies, standards, and activities whose declination will be eventually at system and sub-system level. Project members will select those elements on which they have interest in joining efforts, deepening cooperation, and obtaining technological superiority to ensure dominance at sea.

The project 4E aims to anticipate the challenges of an ever-evolving integrated, digitized, operational naval environment focus on interoperability, interchangeability and collaborative features.

Considering the EU’s objectives for reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 and with a view to enhancing the energy resilience of the armed forces, the project 4E will also focus on sustainability, with a view to allowing the defence sector to further contribute to the European Green Deal initiative. This 4E project should have direct implications for the European Defence industry which needs to turn greener to reduce its environmental impact while strengthening Europe’s strategic autonomy.

OBJECTIVES/PRODUCTS

The 4E project aims to lay the foundations for the ships that, between 2030 and 2045, should replace the surface naval vessels that today form the backbone of European navies.

The project aims to develop capable and resilient naval elements, with a more cost-effective, interoperable, and standardized approach. The purpose is to reduce fragmentation and to improve the coherence of the capability landscape in the EU maritime domain.

These elements will be intelligently interconnected and will provide a unique set of capabilities, far superior to those of individual systems. Therefore, the elements defined for each pillar will need to be integrated into a System of Systems that will be the logical and cognitive core of the new generation of European Smart Ships.

This will contribute to the development of the fundamentals of the digital ship, creating clear added value through a deeper integration of all technologies working together.

It will allow EU navies to remain at the forefront of technology, to operate with technological superiority, and to increase the strategic autonomy of the Union.