On 29 April 2025, ATM-EXCITE was presented at a high-level European Defence Fund (EDF) webinar co-hosted by Euro-Funding Europe and the European DIGITAL SME Alliance. The event gathered more than 100 experts and stakeholders from across Europe to explore how defence-oriented research is reshaping airspace management, interoperability, and cybersecurity.
Representing the consortium, Fernando Gómez Hermoso, Project Coordinator at Euro-Funding, delivered an overview of ATM-EXCITE’s contribution to civil-military airspace integration. His presentation positioned the project as a reference point within the broader EU landscape of dual-use innovation and digital resilience.
Strategic relevance of the EDF webinar
The EDF webinar provided a platform to examine how publicly funded defence research supports the EU’s strategic autonomy, cybersecurity infrastructure, and cross-domain coordination. Although ATM-EXCITE is not funded by the EDF itself—receiving support instead from the SESAR Joint Undertaking (JU) and the European Union—its presence at the event underscored its alignment with many EDF priorities.
ATM-EXCITE’s participation demonstrated how civil-military collaboration can be enhanced through secure data exchange, real-time simulation, and digitalisation of Air Traffic Management (ATM) processes. These capabilities are essential for ensuring a more interoperable and resilient European sky.
ATM-EXCITE EDF webinar highlights
During the presentation, five key technical solutions developed within ATM-EXCITE were introduced as concrete responses to Europe’s growing airspace complexity:
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ADVERMA: Detects false ADS-B signals to maintain trust in surveillance data.
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SEALD: Encrypts and anonymises military flight data to ensure confidentiality.
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ANYSKY: Integrates infrastructure through secure remote attestation mechanisms.
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DACSES ADS-B: Applies cross-domain cyber defence to secure mission-critical data.
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SIMCOM: Uses agent-based simulation to optimise civil-military coordination.
Together, these demonstrators reflect ATM-EXCITE’s contribution to enhancing the cybersecurity, efficiency, and environmental performance of shared airspace systems.
A model for policy-driven innovation
ATM-EXCITE’s showcase at the EDF webinar also served as a reminder that aviation innovation is no longer confined to technical development. Today, interoperability and digital trust are political priorities, particularly within EU strategies such as the Digital European Sky and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).
The project supports these goals by:
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Reducing the need for segregated military airspace.
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Improving operational coordination through secure digital tools.
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Enhancing data protection and mission resilience in a contested airspace environment.
Moreover, its close coordination with EUROCONTROL, EASA, and the European Defence Agency (EDA) ensures that its outcomes are applicable and aligned with European regulatory and operational frameworks.
Looking ahead
As the ATM-EXCITE project moves into its next phases, its technical outputs will continue to support broader discussions on civil-military ATM integration, cybersecurity, and digital sovereignty. ATM-EXCITE is helping shape a secure, interoperable, and digitally advanced European sky—bridging innovation with policy through actionable, future-ready solutions.
