After the Prime Contract signature and a launching concept phase started on May 2024 with the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR - representing the Granting Authority on behalf of the European Commission and the Contracting Authority representing the Participating States), HYDIS consortium led by MBDA is successfully progressing with the execution of the studies related to the future interceptor concept aimed at counter-acting the current and emerging fast-growing and complex hypersonic threats.
Composed of 19 Partners and more than 20 Subcontractors in 14 European countries, the HYDIS consortium aims to reach a concrete objective: to design various interceptor concepts and mature the associated critical technologies to deliver the best interception solutions, in order to defend European populations and Armed Forces, in particular against emerging hypersonic threats.
To achieve its mission, this project entered from June 2024 to today into a ramp-up phase, including discussions and agreements with the Customer Community of the User’s Requirements, Concept of Operations and metrics, to evaluate the proposed interceptor concepts. Six Users Working Groups, involving Subject Matter Experts from the Participating States (France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands) and the industry, had therefore been facilitated by MBDA, in order to converge into a set of common user’s requirements and operational scenarios, against which building and measuring the effectiveness of the interceptor concepts.
A complete and precise analysis covering the whole threat characterisation, including among others external geometry, aerodynamics, propulsion, thermal aspect or fly-out models, was also carried out by Research and Technology Organisations project’s Partners, to guarantee the relevance of the solutions proposed by the Consortium.
From the working sessions and inputs of all Partners and Subcontractors, 11 interceptor concepts were initially proposed by MBDA, taking into account not only the performances but also key aspects such as the system affordability and the projected weapon system major components compatibility (platforms, sensors suite). 6 of them have then been selected after the Solution Space Review, with a great appreciation from both OCCAR and the Participating States for the quality of the technical analysis and the evidences provided in the technical datapack composing the deliverables. A Concept Robustness Review concluded this phase in May 2025, during which the Consortium presented its preferred interceptor architecture.
Moving forward, the Consortium is undertaking with the technical activities to carry on the design of the initial concepts. Aiming at the next major contract milestone, the Initial Concept Review (ICR) scheduled for October 2025, the Consortium will provide the Customer with all necessary elements to enable a further down-selection of the two most promising concepts.
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About the HYDIS Consortium:
Consortium Composition (Partners list):
MBDA FR (Consortium Coordinator and Prime Contractor), MBDA España SL, ROXEL FRANCE, ArianeGroup SAS, LYNRED, OFFICE NATIONAL D'ETUDES ET DE RECHERCHES AEROSPATIALES, MBDA Deutschland GmbH, Bayern-Chemie Gesellschaft für flugchemische Antriebe mbH, TDW Gesellschaft für verteidigungstechnische Wirksysteme mbH, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V., OHB System AG, MBDA Italia S.p.A., GE Avio srl, AVIO S.p.A., Centro Italiano Ricerche Aerospaziali ScPA, GKN Fokker Aerospace B.V., Thales Nederland B.V., Nederlandse Organisatie voor toegepast-natuurwetenschappelijk onderzoek TNO, THALES LAS FRANCE SAS.
“The European Hypersonic Defence Interceptor System” (HYDIS) is a project co-funded by the European Union, under the European Defence Fund, and by four Participating States (PSs) which are France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. OCCAR has been entrusted by the European Commission (EC) for the indirect management of the action by the signature of a Contribution Agreement. OCCAR, as Contracting Authority, has concluded a contract with the HYDIS consortium to implement the programme, on behalf of EU and the Member States.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them.
