Dr. Ignacio Montiel-Sánchez holds a doctorate in Telecommunications Engineering and is a Telecommunications Engineer from the Spanish Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. With over 20 years of professional experience in the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA) in Madrid, Dr. Montiel-Sánchez started working in the fields of antennae and RCS measurements; was responsible for the creation of the Detectability Laboratory; as well as being Head of the Communications, Navigation and Radar Unit. In 2009, he was seconded to the European Commission as a Policy Officer in the Security R&D Unit of DG Enterprise. He currently works for the European Defence Agency where he has held the position of Project Officer Radio Frequency Sensors Technologies since June 2011.
MWJ: Explain briefly the role of the European Defence Agency and its particular relevance to the RF and microwave industry?
I M-S: The Agency’s overall mission is to support its Member States in their effort to improve their defence capabilities. Our shareholders are the Ministries of Defence, taking advantage of the EDA to identify and harmonize operational requirements, conduct cooperative R&T projects and armament programmes and reinforce the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB). As in other domains, facilitating the dialogue and cooperation among governments and with industry in the RF and microwave domain requires more joint and coherent setting of priorities, increased standardization and economies of scale, thus improving the effectiveness of military spending. The EDA is also facilitating the cooperation between the Ministries of Defence and the European Commission, especially in the field of R&T, in order to promote greater synergies. The joint collaboration on scalable multifunction RF Sensors is a typical example of a challenging undertaking in the EDA framework.
MWJ: What are the wider strategic aims of the EDA as regards the European Technological and Industrial Base and the European Defence Research and Technology Strategy?
I M-S: Since its inception in 2004, one of the main objectives of the EDA has always been to ensure that Europe has at its disposal a competent, competitive and cost-effective defence industry, able to generate cutting-edge capabilities. A healthy industry is a key prerequisite for innovation and state-of-the-art capability development. A recent landmark in that respect has been the call by our Heads of States and Governments in December 2013 on a more integrated, sustainable, innovative and competitive EDTIB. This entails developing more systematically civil-military synergies, increasing defence-related R&T, designing support measures for SMEs, progressing on harmonized certification and standardization procedures and looking into Security of Supply issues. On all these topics the EDA is working hand in hand with the European Commission to support concrete and tangible action.
With regard to the R&T strategy, the aim is to enhance the effectiveness and innovation of European research through collaborative projects and programmes. To achieve that, capability priorities have been agreed, action plans defined and specific mechanisms, frameworks and processes established. An important element is a detailed and structured approach through the development of Strategic Research Agendas (SRA) in the different technological areas.
MWJ: How are the EDA and its projects being funded?
I M-S: As an Agency of the Council, EDA is being fully funded by its Member States. Beyond its functional budget for running and staff costs, the Agency has a dedicated “Operational budget” in the range of €6 million annually at its disposal, designed to fund, for example, state of the art of technologies, feasibility studies and industrial landscape analysis. Technology roadmaps for investment are classical results of those studies, which typically range from some €200,000 to €400,000. In addition, Member States can join in so called ad-hoc projects and programmes at any moment, which can account for several million Euros. The great strength of the Agency is therefore to offer to Member States an “à la carte” service, facilitating the setting-up of projects in variable geometries.
MWJ: How has the concept of Defence evolved over recent years and have military capabilities adapted to evolving scenarios?
I M-S: The challenges posed to defence are constantly changing, geographically and by nature. One underlying feature is certainly the increasingly blurred line between internal and external security. Yet, what matters is our ability to adapt and provide our security forces with the capabilities they need – robust yet easily deployable, self-supporting yet interoperable, cutting-edge yet cost-efficient. While benefitting today from past R&T investments, current poor spending levels bear the potential risk of Europe loosing these capabilities in the longer term. Capability domains such as Cyber, Satellite Communications, and Unmanned Aerial Systems are becoming increasingly important and require sustained investment. Most of them, such as Air-to-Air refuelling or persistent surveillance, are often beyond a single country’s reach and require European solutions – something captured by the term ‘Pooling & Sharing’.
MWJ: The EDA hosts the RF Sensors Technologies (RFST) group of experts. What is its remit and objectives?
I M-S: A Capability Technology group (CapTech) is a network of experts from the EDA participating Member States (pMS) dedicated to a particular technology area. RFST deals with sensors and electronic warfare systems applying RF, magnetic and electronic technologies including the subjects of signal processing, propagation and signature control and reduction. Governmental representatives, through a dialogue with research experts and industry meet in order to generate collaborative RF Sensors projects from a system level perspective. It also supports pMS in preparing wider programmes and common initiatives.
MWJ: As Project Officer RF Sensors Technologies of the European Defence Agency what is your role?
I M-S: An EDA Project Officer (PO) in charge of a CapTech like RFST has both a technical and administrative role. As CapTech moderators we chair the meetings to support pMS’s representatives in establishing and running collaborative research programmes, facilitating negotiation among all parties. We propose new initiatives and define future projects being involved in their selection, management and acceptance. Administration of forums, sharing information on topics, reports, and news and the organisation of ad hoc meetings and workshops all require technical and managerial skills. Not forgetting the support for transversal and dissemination activities.
MWJ: What are your personal objectives?
I M-S: As moderator of the RFST CapTech, I want to increase the number and impact of the R&T projects under my responsibility. My objective is to support MS in achieving the most from European cooperation and to confirm that, through shared CapTech member’s efforts, cost-effective and innovative solutions in the RF Sensors Systems domain will be achieved.
MWJ: In practical terms how has the economic downturn impacted on the challenge of developing RF Sensor technologies?
I M-S: An important decrease in investment has been observed in general in defence research. The RFST CapTech has also experienced a decrease. During 2012-2013, five projects which started in 2008-2009 with an investment close to €50 million came to an end. There will be another five projects running in 2014- 2015, valued at around €30 million, demonstrating a decrease in investment of 40 percent. Nevertheless, the decrease cannot solely be attributed to the economic crisis as it coincides with the end of a set of projects, so we expect a return to previous levels in a few years.
MWJ: What have been the significant RF sensors projects that have been developed in recent years?
I M-S: It is a challenge to put together the highly competitive companies on RF Sensors in joint initiatives as competition in this market is tough. Nevertheless, in the EDA framework we have achieved the implementation of several collaborative projects which amount to more than €60 million, covering a wide range of subjects: Scalable Multifunction RF Sensors in SIMPLE, STRATA, AMBASSADOR and SIMCLAIRS on the specific application to RPAS; lightweight radar and ESM technologies were the subject of TELLUS, signal processing in SPREWS, Non Cooperative Target Identification in SPERI and ACACIA and spectrum allocation in FARADAYS. New projects are in preparation such as MAPIS for passive radar, RFBIO to analyse biological effects for personnel protection and SIRONA to integrate RF and optronics.
MWJ: What are the major developments in RF sensor technology that you envisage going forward?
I M-S: There are already some trends emerging that not only concern technologies as architectures and methodologies are also essential for new systems development. Simulation, testing and verification will be extensively used, based on standards to ensure better quality and interoperability of sensors, presumably connected in extensive networks with the ability to provide sensor and data fusion.
The burst in UAV activity is tangible, achieving half of their value from the payloads. The RFST developments will come through enablers of the reduction of Size, Weight, Power and Cost (SWAP-C) of sensor payloads for the Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, & Reconnaissance (ISTAR) capability. In that field, multifunction sensing and AESA antennas are critical. Scalability, modularity and cognitivity, together with the reduction of life cycle costs have to be addressed through adequate frameworks like those offered by system engineering.
Advances in nanotechnologies, advanced materials like graphene or metamaterials and the use of GaN will make a difference in performance. Use of COTS from the civil market will decrease costs and advanced signal processing with compressive sensing or the use of photonics will significantly improve speed/bandwidths.
MWJ: In the September Cover Story you mention that the number of engineers working in defence technologies is progressively decreasing and getting older. What needs to be done to improve the situation?
I M-S:The defence market is a monopsony, having the MoD as the sole client. Even though it is a very attractive field for researchers and developers because of the innovation and high technical level demanded, there is a need for significant programmes to attract the interest of industry to invest in them. When clear procurement paths are missing, other areas may attract more attention and specialists may leave. Long term and high impact multinational programmes with dual use orientation would be one of the ways to ensure defence technology experts’ careers.
MWJ: Do you envisage engineers needing to take a multidisciplinary approach?
I M-S: Engineering degrees are usually focused on thorough technical preparation for specific sectors and subjects. Nevertheless, many of the developments faced currently are multidisciplinary in nature and it is very difficult to find profiles covering subjects globally. Professionals with a good knowledge of several technical areas would make a difference. They will increase even more in value if they can additionally master procedural, contractual and legal issues.
MWJ: Much has been written regarding the implementation of Horizon 2020. How do you see it impacting on the EDA generally and the RFST group in particular?
I M-S: For many years the use of European funds for Defence Research was not possible. The European Council’s conclusions in December 2013 expressed a change of view with an explicit call in favour of better exploitation of civil-defence synergies. RF Sensors are a good example of dual use as exhaustively used for security and defence applications, like in maritime surveillance. The Council’s invitation for coordination becomes visible with participation of the EDA in Advisory Boards of European Commission projects ensuring complementarity of research and innovation on civil applications and the ones carried out by the EDA addressing military needs.
The Council Conclusions state as well that a Preparatory Action (PA) on Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) related research will be set up. The impact of a future CSDP theme in the framework programme would be very significant for the whole defence research community. In that sense the PA will be a key factor shaping the future of European defence collaborative research. In the RFST field, I would appreciate it if the PA could contribute to enhance capabilities related to RFST, such as ISTAR or Electronic Support Measures.