GMV provides intelligence and command-and-control solutions for Europe’s biggest defense research program

In coordination with the Spanish MoD, the Directorate General of Armament and Material (Dirección General de Armamento y Material: DGAM) and the Spanish Navy, GMV forms part of the European OCEAN2020 consortium, to which the European Commission has awarded the biggest project of the first round of activities of the Preparatory Action on Defense Research program (PADR). Primed by the Italian multinational LEONARDO, the consortium of 42 partners from 15 European countries will be signing the contract with the European Defense Agency (EDA) in the coming weeks.

This project, the biggest maritime-surveillance technology development program, represents one of the mainstays of the PADR, which sets out to prove the feasibility of a specific defense research program in the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework of 2021-2027 (European Defence Research Programme: EDRP).

OCEAN2020’s partners include the ministries of defense of Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal and Lithuania, with additional support from the MoDs of Sweden, France, the United Kingdom, Estonia and the Netherlands. GMV has a twofold participation in the project, with its subsidiaries of Spain and Portugal both taking part. OCEAN2020’s industrial partners includes the Spanish firms INDRA and Seadrone plus the most important companies of the European defense sector such as SAAB, Safran, PGZ, Ficantieri and MBDA. Other participants include research centers such as NATO’s Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE), Fraunhofer IOSB and Qinetiq.

After a painstaking analysis of the operational requirements for improving situational awareness in the maritime environment, OCEAN2020 will put forward groundbreaking surveillance and interdiction solutions, drawing on unmanned platforms of different types (fixed wing, rotary wing, surface and underwater) integrated with naval units’ command and control centers, allowing for data exchange via satellite with command and control centers on land.

GMV’s particular contribution focuses on C2 (Command and Control) and JISR (Joint Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance), in keeping with the company’s international track record in these areas. As part of Spain’s participation in NATO’s MAJIIC (Multisensor Aerospace /Ground Joint ISR -Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance- Interoperability Coalition) project, GMV is responsible for the SAPIIEM system (made up by several systems such as ATENEA, COLLECTOR, CSD SIERRA, SIERRA tools and C2NEC), which pools information from several sources in different formats, providing intelligence analysts with the necessary wherewithal for exchanging ISR information and workflows, ensuring interaction in all JISR phases. GMV’s participation in OCEAN2020 also includes the design and development of a Brussels-based European Centre of Maritime Operations, to be set up under the project.

Under the project two demonstrations will be conducted in a real scenario of maritime surveillance and interdiction missions. Coordinated by the Italian Navy, the first exercise will be held in 2019 with key participation by the Spanish Navy. GMV will be rolling out its intelligence and command-and-control solutions. The second exercise, coordinated by the Swedish Navy, will be held in 2020 in the Baltic Sea.

OCEAN2020 represents another stride forward in the company’s ongoing internationalization strategy and consolidates the company’s international command-and-control track record. This rounds out GMV’s role as main contractor for the development of the European Command and Control Information System (EUCCIS), used by the European External Action Service (EEAS) on its missions outside Europe.