European Defence Fund
EU funding program for collaborative defense research and capability development.
The European Defence Fund supports collaborative defense research and development across EU member states, funding projects from basic research through prototype development.
Program detail
- Agency
- European Commission
- Acronym
- EDF
- Budget
- €7.9B (2021–2027)
- Phase
- Active
- Domain
- Multi-domain
Participants6
- CompanyLeonardoItalian aerospace, defense, and security multinational.
- CompanyThalesFrench aerospace, defense, and security multinational.
- CompanyHENSOLDTGerman sensor and defense electronics company.
- CompanyRheinmetallGerman defense technology group.
- CompanyAirbus Defence and SpaceEuropean aerospace and defense division of Airbus.
- CompanyDefSecIntel SolutionsEstonian maker of AI-driven counter-drone and autonomous surveillance systems for border and critical-infrastructure security.
Contracts0
No linked records yet.
Frequently asked
- What is European Defence Fund?
- The European Defence Fund supports collaborative defense research and development across EU member states, funding projects from basic research through prototype development.
- Which agency runs European Defence Fund?
- European Defence Fund is run by European Commission and is also known as EDF.
- What is the budget for European Defence Fund?
- European Defence Fund has a budget of €7.9B (2021–2027), currently in its Active phase.
Sources & citations4
Each claim links to its underlying source. Confidence reflects how directly the source supports the claim.
- 1
- 2
EDF has committed approximately €6.5 billion across 224 projects since 2021, distinct from the €7.9 billion 2021-2027 ceiling; the 2026 Work Programme allocates a further €1 billion
European Commission - Defence Industry and Space: Commission continues to strengthen European collaborative defence research and development with additional EUR 1 billionVerified2025-12-17 - 3
The EU invested €1.07 billion in 57 defence projects in the EDF 2025 call, involving 634 entities from 26 Member States and Norway
European Commission - Defence Industry and Space: Commission to invest EUR 1.07 billion in 57 defence projects supporting European Readiness FlagshipsVerified2026-04-15 - 4
Leonardo received €65M for the AURIGA ground-combat command project and €162.4M in total EDF funding; Thales received €74.8M for the EICACS 2 combat-cloud project; HENSOLDT shares in €175.3M for sensor/optronics work; Rheinmetall received €47M (IPCP) and €20.56M (ProMa); Airbus Defence and Space received €200M for secure military satcom - company-level figures are from a secondary outlet, not independently cross-checked against CORDIS
EU Perspectives: Primes and partners: Brussels' €131bn defence dash rewards giants firstEstimated2026-04-13