Madrid-based technology multinational GMV announced Monday its selection as a primary beneficiary in seven critical projects under the 2025 European Defence Fund (EDF) call. The selection reinforces GMV’s position as a top-tier contributor to the European Union’s strategic autonomy, with the company now participating in a total of 49 collaborative defense programs across the EDF and its predecessor, the EDIDP.
Advancing the European Space Shield and Air Combat Interoperability
The 2025 awards align with the European Commission’s “Readiness 2030” roadmap, specifically supporting flagship initiatives such as the European Space Shield and the European Air Shield. GMV’s contributions span multiple domains, with a heavy emphasis on space-based intelligence and autonomous orbital operations.
- SPIDER 2: A development phase focused on multi-mission satellite constellations for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). This project aims to reduce revisit times and system latency for sovereign military operations.
- ASIMOV: This project defines the architecture for in-orbit servicing, including satellite refueling, repair, and inspection under contested conditions. It seeks to validate a federated approach to protecting high-value space assets.
- EICACS 2 & EPIIC 2: These initiatives focus on the next generation of air combat, developing interoperability standards for collaborative combat and advanced cockpit interfaces that utilize AI to reduce pilot workload.
Cyber Defense and Modular Soldier Systems
Beyond orbital assets, GMV is integrating its expertise into the land and digital domains. The ECC2 project will develop a sovereign, federated cyber command and control (C2) solution designed to ensure data interoperability between EU and NATO systems. In the land sector, the ACHILE 2 program utilizes AI, augmented reality, and exoskeletons to create an open, modular architecture for next-generation soldier units.
The DART project further addresses system complexity by employing digital twins and Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) to optimize the design and operation of integrated “systems of systems” in high-intensity conflict environments.
Fiscal Scope and Strategic Autonomy
The 2025 EDF call represents a significant scaling of EU defense investment, with €1.07 billion allocated across 57 selected projects. Of this, €675 million is dedicated to capability development and €332 million to research. Spain has emerged as a major participant in this cycle, with involvement in 42 of the 57 projects.
With a workforce that has grown by 70% over the last five years to more than 3,500 employees, GMV’s leadership in these projects reflects its capacity to integrate complex technologies—ranging from AI-driven optical analysis to robotics—into the continent’s defense industrial base. The grant agreements for these s
