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At the end of June, the European Commission awarded the bid consortium led by OHB System AG the contract for the study and design project ODIN'S EYE II. The industrial consortium consists of 38 companies from 14 European member states, including Airbus Defense and Space, Thales Alenia Space, Leonardo and the Ariane Group. In addition to OHB, the following from Germany are involved: AIM Infrared Modules, AMDC, Diehl Defense, DLR, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, Hensoldt Optronics, IABG, ST Analytics and UniBw Munich. The EU Commission is funding the project almost entirely with 90 million euros from the European Defense Fund (EDF).

Satellites are part of the basis of the missile early warning architecture to be developed as part of ODIN'S EYE. (Photo: OHB)

According to the EDF factsheet, ODIN's EYE II contributes to the further development of a European space-based missile early warning (SBMEW) architecture, which was initiated within the framework of the European Defense Industrial Development Program (EDIDP). The targeting system deals with timely warning, technical reconnaissance, missile defense systems against ballistic, hypersonic and anti-satellite threats (Anti-SATellite, ASAT), as well as proliferation control. The project will promote and consolidate cooperation between entities from EU Member States in developing a common SBMEW capability to respond to current and future security threats. Related PESCO project: Timely Warning and Interception with Space-based Theater Surveillance (TWISTER).

According to its own information, OHB System is already responsible for the collection and harmonization of the requirements, for the “system of systems” architecture and for the individual components of the room segment as part of ODIN'S EYE I. In the ODIN'S EYE II project, which is now starting in parallel, OHB will now also be responsible for the definition, development, integration and verification of the entire mission and system simulator.

Sabine von der Recke, responsible board member at OHB System AG, emphasizes the importance of the project: “The fact that the Commission is building a space infrastructure for early warning with ODIN'S EYE II and thus investing in its own defense capability is an important step in view of the changed security situation. As coordinator of the consortium, OHB not only has a special responsibility, but has also built up the right expertise for the topic over the past decades.”

Editorial staff / gwh