In July 2022, DG Defis, the European Commission’s directorate responsible for implementing European Defense Fund programs, announced the results of the selection of projects funded under the Work Program 2021. John Cockerill has been selected for the European FAMOUS 2, MARSEUS and INDY programs.
The FAMOUS2 project aims to develop innovative technological elements for the next generation of armored platforms and to modernize existing platforms, including all-terrain vehicles, light armored vehicles and tanks.
FAMOUS2 builds on the ongoing FAMOUS project, launched in 2020 under the European Defense Industrial Development Program (EDIDP). It follows on from the vehicle and system concept development activities carried out under this seminal project. In this project, John Cockerill Defense takes a major role in the consortium coordinated by Finnish partner Patria.
John Cockerill Defense will coordinate all activities related to the development of medium caliber weapon systems to provide firepower for future tracked all-terrain vehicles and light wheeled armored vehicles. The weapon system development will be done in partnership with Patria, Nexter, Kongsberg, ISD and Escribano.
John Cockerill Defense will also contribute to the development of protection, camouflage and environmental understanding solutions that will enable the implementation of recently developed innovations.
The MARSEUS (Modular Architecture Solutions for EU States) program is the second part of the LynkEUS project, which is coming to an end, and aims to study the firing Beyond Line Of Sight (BLOS) of a fifth-generation medium-range anti-tank missile, embarked on a vehicle in coordination with an observation drone. MARSEUS, under the coordination of the French company MBDA, will develop the collaborative capability for this BLOS firing capability over a three-year period. John Cockerill Defense’s role will be to integrate these new functionalities into its latest generation compact turrets, the Cockerill CPWS and 1030.
John Cockerill will also participate in the INDY program, which aims to develop solutions for the energy independence of military camps deployed in operations, such as hydrogen and micro-grid management.
“We are happy and proud to be part of these large-scale European projects, which should lead to a strengthening of the competitiveness, efficiency and innovation capacity of the defense industry throughout the Union, and thus contribute to the Union’s strategic autonomy,” said Thierry Renaudin, President John Cockerill Defense. “This is a great recognition for our teams and their expertise, especially in the field of innovation and engineering.”
