Post by Forward Global

European Defence Agency: Forward Global delivers the conclusions of a 15‑month strategic study on Higher Airspace Operations (HAO). The EDA tasked Forward Global with analysing the stakes and complexities of a still little‑mastered aerospace domain: Higher Airspace Operations (HAO), the band between 20 and 100 km altitude located between conventional airspace and the beginning of the orbital zone. This HAO band, fully subject to national sovereignty, is progressively emerging as a new operational domain for European armed forces. Without rapid action, Europe could face capability shortfalls and fragmented responses to emerging opportunities and threats in this space. A few key points from the conclusions delivered to the Agency and to Member States: ⚠️ A risky regulatory vacuum — The EU is currently developing a framework to facilitate and supervise the development of operations in HAO, driven mainly by civil logics (certification, safety, commercial efficiency). Without early integration of military specificities, this framework risks not being suited to military needs and control. ⚠️ A double‑edged domain — HAO is both a source of superiority (long‑endurance ISR, theatre communications relay, redundancy for space‑based capabilities) and a vector of threat (maneuvering missiles, non‑cooperative platforms). Three short‑term work strands proposed to the EDA and to Member States: ✅ Setting up stronger, permanent HAO‑defence coordination and an interface with national armed forces, EASA, the European Commission, EUROCONTROL and the industry. ✅ Reaching a shared doctrinal and capability baseline among Member States for surveillance and detection in the 20–80 km band. ✅ Analysing governance options for HAO within the Single European Sky that preserves military specificities. Thierry C. Martin de Maupeou Lucas Meyronne Pauline Massart Axel Dyèvre Luc Tytgat  #EDA #HigherAirspaceOperations #HAO #StrategicAutonomy #Aerospace