OCCAR has signed a multinational co-funding and governance agreement to move the Indra-coordinated REACT II program into its next phase, consolidating financial commitments and centralized management for Europe’s next-generation airborne electronic attack initiative.
Under the arrangement, OCCAR assumes program oversight on behalf of Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Poland, the Netherlands, and France, creating a unified management structure for multinational capability development.
REACT II is structured to respond to the growing complexity of the electromagnetic battlespace, with a focus on scalable, aircraft-agnostic airborne electronic warfare systems that can be deployed across diverse air platforms.
The program is centered on a modular and mission-adaptive system architecture, allowing EW payloads and subsystems to be rapidly reconfigured to support different operational roles and threat environments.
Backed by national defense funding and European Commission financing, the initiative unites a 20-partner consortium from 10 countries, driving collaborative development of advanced EW technologies and demonstrator platforms.
Overall program expenditure is projected at €69 million ($81 million), with EU support contributing up to €40 million ($47 million).
Program Architecture
Initiated in 2023, REACT II extends the work of the earlier REACT I framework, transitioning from foundational research toward deployable electronic attack capabilities.
The program addresses the complete technology pipeline — from research and prototyping to high-technology subsystem development for airborne EW platforms.
Development areas include AESA sensor arrays, DRFM technologies, digital beamforming, autonomous environmental control systems powered by ram air turbines, and integrated EW command-and-control networks.
These systems are designed to enable escort operations, deep electronic attack missions, long-range jamming, and coordinated electronic warfare command-and-control, forming a flexible European airborne EW capability base.
