The three-year first phase established the interceptor concept in August 2025. Approval of the Preliminary System Requirements followed in August 2026, completing the phase’s technical work.
The consortium said all subsystems reached a level of technical maturity above the project’s initial target. It said the results and industrial cooperation established during the programme provided a basis for continuing development.
HYDEF presented its findings to OCCAR and representatives of Spain, Germany, Poland, Belgium and Norway on 22 October. The meeting at Spain’s Centre for National Defence Studies in Madrid formally closed the project’s first phase.
Participants also outlined a short-term roadmap for further development. The announcement did not specify the follow-on programme’s funding, schedule or target date for entering service.
EU HYDEF is co-funded through the European Defence Fund and by Belgium, Germany, Norway, Poland and Spain. OCCAR manages the project on behalf of the European Commission and the participating states.
