Facing a broadening spectrum of threats, the European Union is prioritizing the modernization of its defence systems to safeguard its strategic autonomy. The European Defence Funded MaJoR project directly addresses this imperative by developing advanced maintenance, joining, and repair technologies. Its goal is to create more resilient and durable multidomain defence platforms for the air, land, and sea domains, countering dependencies on non-EU suppliers and obsolete designs.
Current platform designs suffer from short life spans, high maintenance costs, and significant supply chain vulnerabilities. MaJoR will tackle these challenges by levelling the technological maturation across domains, pushing innovations like advanced composites from aerospace into naval and land applications. The project will develop and validate new systems through domain-specific demonstrators. These demonstrators aim to prove superior mission capability by reducing cost, weight, and lead time, while increasing vehicle availability, space efficiency, and sustainability.
A key ambition is to strengthen the entire European Defence Technology Industrial Base. The consortium, coordinated by Royal NLR, synergistically leverages the vast experience of 38 entities, including research centres, universities, and large companies. Crucially, MaJoR is committed to unlocking the potential of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by providing them with financial support and integrating their innovative technologies. This collaborative approach will help shorten development timelines and build a robust, cross-border defence industrial network. By delivering affordable, scalable, and sustainable solutions, MaJoR is set to significantly enhance Europe’s security and defence capability by 2030.
