PESCO PROJECTS

TIMELY WARNING AND INTERCEPTION WITH SPACE-BASED THEATER SURVEILLANCE (TWISTER)

The spectrum of threats on the European territory is evolving towards more complex and evolving air threats, notably in the missile domain. The project therefore aims at strengthening the ability of Europeans to better detect, track and counter these threats through a combination of enhanced capabilities for space-based early warning and endo atmospheric interceptors. It promotes the European self-standing ability to contribute to NATO Ballistic-Missile Defence (BMD).

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The project aims at strengthening the ability of Europeans to better detect, track and counter hyper-velocity threats, in close cooperation with NATO, through a combination of enhanced capabilities for space-based early warning and endo atmospheric interceptors.

The project will address different types of threats, like ballistic missiles up to 3500 km range (including manoeuvring ballistic missiles and re-entry vehicles), high-altitude supersonic/hypersonic cruise missiles, hypersonic glide vehicles and other high manoeuvring Air Breathing Targets (ABT).

Early-warning satellites will provide reliable and timely information on initial detection of the threats, their trajectory and their characterisation, in order to allow their neutralization by an endo-atmospheric multirole interceptor.

OBJECTIVES/PRODUCTS

To this end, the project intends to:

1.  Develop a common understanding of the requirements and threats,
2. Develop a future European space-based Early Warning capability carrying out the initial detection and tracking of those threats before handing them over to ground based radars,
3.  Develop a new multirole endo atmospheric interceptor able to face a large set of current and future complex and evolving air and missile threats.