Primes / large Defence Companies

1. Dual-use, modular and interoperable platform families
ID: IN-011
Lab: SCALE
Challenge: Civil, public safety and military requirements are frequently developed in separate programmes. Proprietary interfaces and duplicated qualification prevent common volumes, interchangeable components and efficient maintenance.
Lead actor: European UAS industry and standardisation organisations, supported by EDA and EASA
Supporting actors: National military airworthiness authorities, civil aviation authorities, public safety users, research organisations and procurement agencies
Timeframe: 12 months for interface baselines; 24 months for qualification pilots
KPI: Open interface baseline published; at least three platform families demonstrate interchangeable modules; qualification pilots document a reduction of duplicated evidence by at least 50%.

2. Design for modification. Products must be updatable or modifiable as capabilities and threats change.
ID: IN-035
Lab: INNOVATION SPEED

3. Use Aaronia. The German EW/CUAS company that is considered as the best in the world and is already delivering serious results in Ukraine — leverage that expertise directly.
ID: IN-044
Lab: INNOVATION SPEED

4. Disperse Production
ID: IN-072
Lab: RESILIENCE
Challenge: A small number of large factories create attractive strategic targets.
Lead actor: Industry
Supporting actors: Ministries of Defence, EU Commission, regional authorities
Timeframe: 24 months
KPI: No designated critical mass-production programme dependent on one manufacturing site.

5. Create one 'defence-ready supplier passport' for civil heavy-industry Tier-2 suppliers: a single audit (ISO 9001 / ISO 3834 / AQAP 2110, traceability) recognised by all participating German and Baltic primes, plus a shared register of qualified metalworking capacity (foundry, forging, heat treatment, machining, welding).
ID: IN-106
Lab: RESILIENCE
Challenge: Qualification, not capability, is the entry barrier: each prime audits separately, so sub-tier capacity qualifies more slowly than demand grows.
Lead actor: Primes / large Defence Companies
Supporting actors: Defence industry and business associations; National ministries of defence
First step: Launch a joint working group (convened by AHK) with 2–3 participating Primes to draft a standardised audit template, utilising an established, operational industrial facility as a pilot supplier for a benchmark gap analysis within 100 days.
Timeframe: 12 months
KPI: At least 5 Baltic Tier-2 suppliers hold the passport and at least 3 primes recognise it; audit duration/costs per supplier cut by at least 30%.