Deadline: 16-Feb-2027
The European Defence Industry Programme invites proposals under its Common Procurement Actions to support joint procurement of air and missile defence systems by EU Member States and associated countries. The call aims to strengthen interoperability, cooperation, defence capability development and the resilience of the European defence industrial base.
The estimated available budget is EUR 150,000,000, with a maximum EU contribution of EUR 20,000,000 per common procurement action. Eligible procurement activities should have an estimated value of at least EUR 80,000,000 and must be based on a binding agreement between participating countries and a designated procurement agent.
Programme Overview
The European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) supports Common Procurement Actions that help participating countries jointly procure defence products and systems.
This call focuses on air and missile defence systems, including integrated and multilayered capabilities designed to protect against a broad range of air threats.
The programme supports cooperation between EU Member States and associated countries while strengthening Europe’s defence industrial readiness and supply chain resilience.
Main Objective
The main objective of the call is to support joint procurement of air and missile defence systems and related components.
The call aims to:
- Strengthen cooperation among participating countries
- Improve interoperability of defence systems
- Address air and missile defence capability gaps
- Support joint procurement of defence products
- Strengthen the European defence industrial base
- Improve defence supply chain resilience
- Reduce strategic dependencies
- Support industrial readiness and lifecycle management
- Encourage common procurement through binding agreements
Key Focus Areas
The opportunity focuses on integrated air and missile defence capabilities.
Key focus areas include:
- Integrated air and missile defence systems
- Multilayered defence systems
- Medium to long-range defence capabilities
- High-altitude protection
- Terminal High-altitude protection
- Endo-atmospheric interceptors
- Radar and sensor systems
- Kinetic effectors
- Non-kinetic effectors
- Command and control systems
- Defence against cruise missiles
- Defence against ballistic missiles
- Defence against hypersonic missiles
- Defence against aircraft
- Defence against unmanned aerial systems
- Industrial readiness pools
- Defence lifecycle support
What the Call Supports
The call supports common procurement activities related to air and missile defence systems and their components.
Supported procurement may include:
- Complete defence systems
- System parts
- System variants
- Sensors such as radars
- Command and control systems
- Effectors
- Related components and subsystems
- Lifecycle support structures
- Industrial readiness pool activities
Procurement may also be organised through framework contracts where appropriate.
Air and Missile Defence Systems Explained
Air and missile defence systems are designed to detect, track, manage and respond to airborne threats.
These systems may include a combination of sensors, command and control tools, effectors and interceptors.
In this call, the focus is not on individual national purchases, but on joint procurement that improves cooperation, interoperability and shared defence readiness among participating countries.
Threat Coverage
The supported systems may address a wide range of air threats.
These include:
- Cruise missiles
- Ballistic missiles
- Hypersonic missiles
- Aircraft
- Unmanned aerial systems
- Other relevant air threats
Projects should demonstrate how the proposed procurement contributes to stronger protection and capability development for participating countries.
Funding Available
The estimated available budget for the call is EUR 150,000,000.
Common Procurement Actions under EDIP may receive a maximum EU contribution of EUR 20,000,000.
Funding is based on a percentage of the estimated value of the common procurement, subject to applicable ceilings, incentive bonuses and programme rules.
Minimum Procurement Value
Proposed common procurement activities should have an estimated value of at least EUR 80,000,000.
This threshold reflects the call’s focus on large-scale, strategic joint procurement rather than smaller isolated purchases.
Applicants should ensure that the procurement value is realistic, well documented and clearly linked to the proposed capability needs.
Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants include entities recognised under the EDIP Regulation for Common Procurement Actions.
Eligible applicants may include:
- Contracting authorities
- International organisations
- Structures for European Armament Programme
- European Defence Agency
- Other eligible procurement agents under the programme rules
Other entities may participate in supporting roles, subject to eligibility conditions.
Supporting Participants
Additional entities may participate in supporting roles where allowed.
These may include:
- Associated partners
- Subcontractors
- Entities providing in-kind contributions
- Technical support entities
- Industrial partners
- Other organisations supporting implementation
All supporting participation must comply with the relevant eligibility and security requirements.
Procurement Agent Requirement
The procurement must be managed through an appointed procurement agent.
Eligible procurement agents may include:
- Contracting authorities of Member States
- Contracting authorities of associated countries
- European Defence Agency
- Structures for European Armament Programme
- International organisations involved in defence cooperation
The procurement agent plays a central role in organising, managing and implementing the common procurement action.
Binding Agreement Requirement
The procurement must be based on a binding agreement between participating countries.
This agreement should define the structure and responsibilities of the joint procurement.
It should clarify:
- Participating countries
- Procurement scope
- Financial commitments
- Governance arrangements
- Procurement agent role
- Decision-making process
- System requirements
- Lifecycle responsibilities
- Implementation timeline
The binding agreement is essential because EDIP supports structured cooperation, not separate or loosely connected national purchases.
Framework Contracts
Supported procurement may be organised through framework contracts.
Framework contracts can help participating countries structure longer-term procurement arrangements, define purchasing conditions and support future orders within an agreed framework.
This may be useful for systems, variants, parts or lifecycle-related procurement needs.
Design Control and System Evolution
Projects must maintain control over the design, adaptation and evolution of the defence products.
This includes the ability to:
- Control design decisions
- Adapt the system when required
- Evolve the system over time
- Replace restricted components
- Remove restricted components
- Maintain lifecycle decision-making authority
This requirement supports strategic autonomy, long-term usability and system independence for participating countries.
Defence Industrial Readiness Pools
The call may support the creation, management and maintenance of defence industrial readiness pools.
These readiness pools can help ensure that industrial capacity, components, services and support structures are available across the lifecycle of the procured systems.
They may support:
- Production readiness
- Supply chain resilience
- Maintenance capacity
- Spare parts availability
- System upgrades
- Lifecycle support
- Industrial cooperation
Why This Call Matters
Air and missile defence is a strategic capability area for European security.
Joint procurement can help participating countries reduce fragmentation, improve interoperability and strengthen shared defence readiness.
This EDIP call matters because it supports coordinated investment in major defence systems while strengthening the European defence industrial base.
It also encourages cooperation across countries, procurement structures and industrial actors to support long-term capability development.
Expected Results
Funded actions are expected to contribute to:
- Stronger air and missile defence capabilities
- Improved interoperability among participating countries
- Better cooperation between EU Member States and associated countries
- Reduced capability gaps
- Stronger defence supply chains
- Increased industrial readiness
- Lower strategic dependencies
- Better lifecycle management of defence systems
- More coordinated defence procurement
- Stronger European defence industrial resilience
How to Apply or How It Works
Applicants should prepare a structured common procurement proposal that demonstrates eligibility, cooperation, capability value and compliance with EDIP rules.
Step 1: Identify the Capability Need
Participating countries should identify a shared air and missile defence capability gap.
The proposed procurement should clearly relate to integrated or multilayered air and missile defence systems or their components.
Step 2: Confirm the Procurement Value
The proposed procurement action should have an estimated value of at least EUR 80,000,000.
Applicants should provide realistic and well-supported cost estimates.
Step 3: Establish Cooperation Between Countries
The action must involve cooperation between participating countries.
This cooperation should be formal, structured and based on shared procurement objectives.
Step 4: Prepare the Binding Agreement
Participating countries must establish a binding procurement agreement.
The agreement should clearly describe the procurement scope, governance, financial responsibilities and implementation arrangements.
Step 5: Appoint a Procurement Agent
Applicants must appoint an eligible procurement agent.
The procurement agent may be a national contracting authority, the European Defence Agency, a SEAP structure or another eligible international organisation involved in defence cooperation.
Step 6: Define the Procurement Scope
The proposal should clearly describe what will be procured.
This may include systems, parts, variants, sensors, effectors, command and control systems or other related components.
Step 7: Demonstrate Interoperability Benefits
Applicants should explain how the procurement will improve interoperability between participating countries.
This may include common standards, shared system requirements, joint lifecycle planning or compatible operational use.
Step 8: Address Industrial Readiness
The proposal should explain how the action will strengthen industrial readiness, supply chains and production capacity.
Where relevant, applicants should describe how defence industrial readiness pools will be established or maintained.
Step 9: Demonstrate Design and Adaptation Control
Applicants must show that control over system design, adaptation and evolution will be maintained.
The proposal should also address the ability to replace or remove restricted components.
Step 10: Prepare the Funding Request
Applicants may request a maximum EU contribution of EUR 20,000,000.
The funding request should follow the applicable percentage rules, incentive bonus provisions and ceilings under EDIP.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Applicants should avoid the following mistakes:
- Proposing procurement below the EUR 80,000,000 threshold
- Failing to establish a binding agreement between participating countries
- Not appointing an eligible procurement agent
- Submitting separate national procurement plans instead of a joint action
- Providing weak evidence of cooperation
- Failing to show interoperability benefits
- Ignoring design control and system evolution requirements
- Not addressing the ability to replace restricted components
- Submitting unclear procurement cost estimates
- Requesting funding above the applicable ceiling
- Overlooking lifecycle management and industrial readiness needs
- Not ensuring eligibility of supporting participants
Tips for a Strong Proposal
A strong proposal should:
- Clearly identify a shared capability gap
- Demonstrate genuine joint procurement
- Include a robust binding agreement
- Appoint a qualified procurement agent
- Show strong interoperability value
- Provide realistic procurement cost estimates
- Align with air and missile defence priorities
- Explain lifecycle management arrangements
- Demonstrate industrial readiness benefits
- Address supply chain resilience
- Show control over system design and adaptation
- Stay within the funding limits and eligibility rules
FAQ
1. What is the EDIP Common Procurement Action on Air and Missile Defence Systems?
It is a European Defence Industry Programme call that supports joint procurement of air and missile defence systems by EU Member States and associated countries.
2. How much funding is available?
The estimated available budget is EUR 150,000,000, with a maximum EU contribution of EUR 20,000,000 per common procurement action.
3. What is the minimum procurement value?
Proposed common procurement activities should have an estimated value of at least EUR 80,000,000.
4. What systems are covered?
The call covers integrated and multilayered air and missile defence systems, including radars, sensors, effectors, command and control systems, high-altitude protection systems and endo-atmospheric interceptors.
5. What threats should supported systems address?
Supported systems may protect against cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles, aircraft, unmanned aerial systems and other air threats.
6. Who can apply?
Eligible applicants include contracting authorities, international organisations, Structures for European Armament Programme and the European Defence Agency within the meaning of the EDIP Regulation.
7. What is required for procurement cooperation?
The procurement must be based on a binding agreement between participating countries and must involve an appointed procurement agent.
Conclusion
The European Defence Industry Programme call on Air and Missile Defence Systems supports large-scale joint procurement to strengthen European defence cooperation, interoperability and industrial readiness.
With an estimated budget of EUR 150,000,000, a maximum EU contribution of EUR 20,000,000 and a minimum procurement value of EUR 80,000,000, the call is designed for strategic cooperative procurement actions.
Applicants should prepare proposals that demonstrate a clear shared capability need, binding cooperation between countries, an eligible procurement agent, strong interoperability benefits, lifecycle control and alignment with EDIP’s objective of strengthening the European defence industrial base.
For more information, visit European Commission.