EUR 20 million are funded by the European Defence Fund for the study, design, prototyping, and integration, testing and evaluation. The contract was signed following the conclusion of a competitive evaluation process.
The project PROTEAS (“dePloyable special opeRations fOrces mulTi Environment commAnd post and C2 System”), in the framework of the European Defense Fund – EDF 2022 program, aims to promote the upgraded role of SOF, as envisioned by the EU. PROTEAS will not only reduce the time for operational readiness but also reduce the cost of EU SOF Small Joint Operations.
IDE leads the PROTEAS consortium consisting of other partners from Greece (ISD S.A., Satways), Belgium (C&V Consulting, Dotocean), Cyprus (Eight Bells, Ubitech), France (Thales Six GTS France, Commissariat à l’ Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, Hensoldt France SAS, SAS Impact), Germany (Rheinmetall Electronics), Italy (Leonardo S.p.A.) and Norway (Squarehead). The Ministries of Defence (MoDs) of Greece, Italy, France, Norway and Belgium, support and co-fund the project with an additional maximum EUR 3 million. The Hellenic MoD has appointed the Project Manager who will act as the main point of contact between the project stakeholders and the PROTEAS Consortium.
At the Kick-off Meeting of PROTEAS which took place in Athens on the 18 & 19 of December 2023 with the participation of involved MoDs, a foundation was laid that will help to implement the program successfully. This is enhanced by all partners that where satisfied by the outcome and are already starting the work with full force.
The Chairman of the B.o.D. and CEO of IDE, Dr. George Troullinos, stated that: “PROTEAS is not just a Research and Technology Project. Our technologically innovative proposal meets the operational requirements of the respective MoDs for SOF operations, and will also strongly contribute to the overall plan of action for strengthening EU’s security and defence policy, by enabling EU to act rapidly and robustly whenever a crisis erupts”.