Study To Be Signed on European MALE UAV

A plan by companies in France, Germany and Italy to launch a European medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAV program will get a boost Monday when defense ministers sign a Declaration of Intent for a two-year definition study.
The agreement is for a definition study and for preliminary project for design.
The two-year study will also involve the European Defence Agency.
In March, French Defense Minister said a new European drone would be ready by 2025 and able to fly in European skies.
Monday's deal is in response to lobbying efforts for a European MALE program by the firms Dassault, Alenia Aermacchi and Airbus.
They jointly called for a MALE program on the eve of the Paris Air Show in 2013, claiming it would pool resources, allow for the incorporation of emerging European certification requirements, and safeguard jobs and know-how, while guaranteeing "European sovereignty and independence in the management of information and intelligence".
Since then, little progress has been made and the European MALE market is currently dominated by the US Reaper and Israeli-designed machines.
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