Airbus Defence & Space has completed an initial test campaign to demonstrate a digital combat cloud that will underpin operations with a Future Combat Air System (FCAS).

Showcasing the ability to support multi-domain operations, the 10-13 June activity – dubbed GOOSE – involved multiple flights of a DT25 target drone launched from Andoya in Norway.

“During each 60-minute flight, aircraft and sensor data were registered and published via the combat cloud, forming a data mesh at the tactical edge,” the European company says. “Various consumers both on the ground and in the air were able to subscribe to critical information and retrieve prioritised gigabytes of data,” it adds.

Software for its digital infrastructure “decouples mission applications from platform services”, while an open-architecture multiplatform autonomous reconfigurable and secure mission system will enable “autonomy and teaming between crewed and uncrewed platforms”.

“The trials substantiate Airbus’s approach to create a software-defined capability that allows military forces to operate seamlessly across land, air, sea, space and cyber domains,” the developer says.

“Further validations also confirmed the system’s ability to load and execute mission applications while meeting airworthiness standards.”

“Through collaboration with end-users, partners, and experts, we are integrating both existing and new systems to enhance operational capability,” says Airbus Defence & Space Germany managing director Harald Mannheim.

“Airbus’ investment in the combat cloud highlights our commitment to providing European armed forces with the software-defined and AI-powered connectivity they need,” he adds.

“The successful tests confirm Airbus’s commitment to delivering combat-ready solutions well ahead of 2040,” the company says, referring to the planned entry into service of a new generation fighter as part of the FCAS effort between France, Germany and Spain.