Press Release: At the European Defence Innovation Day 2025 event, ELT Group presents the new project co-financed with the Ministry of Defence within the framework of the PNRM managed by the National Armament Directorate.
ELT Group is participating in the European Defence Innovation Day 2025, which takes place in Krakow from 14 to 16 May. The event, organised by the European Defence Agency (EDA) together with the National Armaments Directorate – III Reparto, is focused on innovation in the defence sector.
During the event, ELT Group will present ‘ESA-SCAN’ (6-channel SCANning EW receiver based on integrated photonics): this project has been co-funded by the Italian Ministry of Defence within the framework of the National Military Research Plan (PNRM – Piano Nazionale di Ricerca Militare), managed by the National Armaments Directorate. ELT Group is the leader and is supported by CNIT (National Interuniversity Consortium for Telecommunications).
The system consists of a 6-channel receiver connected to an equal number of antennas that transmit signals via optical fibre – thus lighter, immune to electromagnetic interference, and with the aim of minimising signal losses. Currently, the research and development activities, which the company started years ago and which are now supported by the PNRM programme, have focused on the creation of integrated photonic circuits; the final roadmap envisages the realisation of the aforementioned photonic boards.
In its broadest vision, the project represents a revolutionary technological leap for the ELT Group's ESM (Electronic Support Measure) systems, thanks to the switch from microwave to photonic circuits – a change that allows a broadening of the bandwidth and, therefore, the possibility of acquiring and handling more information. In addition, the system benefits from the features of a reduced SwaP (Size, Weight & Power).
This technology ushers in a new technological era of Electronic Warfare, which is crucial in today's conflicts characterised by the need to handle large amounts of data. These new system architectures, in fact, combined in the future with the possibilities granted by Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, will be essential to successfully execute complex multi-domain missions in EMSO (ElectroMagnetic Spectrum Operation) and support decision-making more effectively.
The technology is platform agnostic, also suitable for unmanned aircraft due to its small size.
ELT Group
For more than 70 years, it has been a world leader in Electronic Defence systems. Thanks to innovative management of the electromagnetic spectrum, achieved through proprietary and integrated technologies, today the brand is an international Group with a multi-domain approach that also covers Cyber, Space and Biodefence.
By the experience gained through participation in major European Defence programs including Eurofighter Typhoon, FREMM, PPA, today ELT Group is present in more than 30 countries in the world with more than 3,000 systems supplied, and also participates in the project for the sixth generation avionics platform GCAP (Global Combat Air Programme).
ELT Group is headquartered in Italy, but has a presence in 11 countries located on 4 continents through sales offices and companies of strategic importance and local law in Germany and Saudi Arabia.
Also part of the ELT Group are CY4GATE, which specialises in Cyber Security and Cyber Intelligence, E4Life, Italy's first Biodefence company, and Solynx Corporation, a US-based technology scouting company.
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