The FACT Project Consortium Completes its Third End User Conference

The Federated Advanced Cyber-physical Test range (FACT) project consortium held its third End-User Conference in Copenhagen on 28-29 April, hosted by TERMA. The event was held as the consortium has reached a new milestone, the FACT system design being complete, and the first proof of concept being developed. The End-User conference allowed the Proof of concepts to be presented to the future End Users with an early demonstration. 

FACT aims to provide an unprecedented new European capability to test and verify the cyber vulnerability of military equipment in response to the rapidly evolving and diverse cyber threats embedded in military operational technology (OT). It is co-funded by the European Commission under the European Defence Fund (2022 edition). It is coordinated by Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace.

The two-day conference brought the FACT consortium together to reflect on the progress made, walk through the system design and evaluate the path forward. The discussions confirmed that the project is advancing as planned, with key milestones successfully achieved, laying a solid foundation for delivering the FACT solution.

“The European Defence Fund is a key driver of technological resilience and cooperation in Europe. Through the FACT project, and especially our work on cyber-physical testing, Terma is helping lay the foundations for secure, interoperable defense systems. In the context of Readiness 2030, this collaboration is a vital step toward a stronger, more integrated European defense ecosystem”, stated Séverin Schnepp, Terma’s Associate Director for European Affairs.

Shaping the future together: End-users at the core of the project  

A highlight of the conference was a hands-on demonstration that allowed attendees to experience a first-hand view of the FACT architecture and knowledge base working, serving as proof of concepts that the knowledge base already captures the successful work accomplished to date and establishes a solid foundation for future development.

“For Denmark, investing in robust cybersecurity solutions is a strategic priority as well as essential to safeguard our operational effectiveness and national resilience. DALO follows the FACT project with interest: the involvement of the Danish defence industry in projects such as FACT reinforces Denmark’s active role in shaping European defence cooperation and innovation” stated Glenn Jeilsoe, head of the Architecture and Battle Lab Department at the Danish Logistics and Acquisitions Organization cyberdivision.

This third End-User Conference builds upon the insightful exchanges and one-on-one discussions from the previous edition with its stakeholders, it was attended by representatives from eight supporting Ministries of Defence. It ensures the continuation of this valuable feedback loop, which benefits from the growing support of the Ministries of Defence of European member states. As member state support and involvement grow, the FACT consortium has established a robust ecosystem of collaboration, enabling end-user feedback to be seamlessly integrated into the project at every stage.

“As we continue to strengthen our collective cybersecurity capabilities, the Cyber-Physical Test Range is a key component of advancing our defence infrastructure. It will provide a cutting-edge environment to test, evaluate, and refine our cyber resilience strategies, preparing us for the emerging and complex challenges of tomorrow's cyber landscape. I always look forward to engaging with our esteemed Ministry of Defence colleagues, as representatives in cyber from participating nations, and sharing insights that will help shape the future of defence cybersecurity across Europe. Together, we will build stronger, more secure systems for our nations”, stated Samant Khajuria, Vice-President Cyber & Quantum Technology at Terma.

As FACT continues to evolve, its range of use cases expands, demonstrating the solution's adaptability and versatility. These advancements position FACT as a dynamic service that can be seamlessly applied across multiple domains, addressing diverse operational needs with efficiency and precision.

TERMA’s role in the FACT project

Amongst many other contributions to the FACT project, Terma is leading Work Package 3, which delivers a study on the available state-of-the-art test tools, methods and procedures in cyber-physical testing. This initiative is crucial for the design of a secure and interoperable information storage and sharing platform, enabling streamlined testing capabilities in complex domains like cybersecurity and military operations.

Terma is Denmark’s largest defence and space industry. Its highly skilled 1.900 employees work on a wide variety of state-of-the-art products in the fields of aeronautics (self-protection systems, supplier to the F-35 programme), missions systems (radars & C2 software) and space (ground-testing of satellites, star-tracking cameras, electronics subsystems). Headquartered in Aarhus, Denmark, Terma has subsidiaries and operations across seven countries in Europe (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Romania, United Kingdom), as well as in the Middle East, Asia Pacific and a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary, Terma Inc.

A project selected by the European Defence Fund 2022

The European Commission has awarded €26.9 million over a three-year period to the FACT project led by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.

The European Defence Fund (EDF) is a financial instrument created by the European Union in 2017 as part of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The first call for proposals was published in 2021. FACT is one of the 41 projects selected for the 2022 EDF (out of 134 proposals submitted).

The FACT consortium

Contact information

Jon LEISTAD 
Project Coordinator
jon.leistad@kongsberg.com

Prof. Katrin FRANKE
Technical Manager
katrin.franke@kongsberg.com