TOKYO — When Japan obtained observer status on the collaborative Eurodrone project in November 2023, it marked a growing collaboration between Japan and European nations that prime contractor Airbus hopes will continue to expand.

The Eurodrone program, launched in 2015, is a collaborative project between Germany, France, Italy and Spain managed by the European intergovernmental Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation, or OCCAR, which made Japan the first nation outside of Europe involved in the program by granting it observer status.

“For us, this was a very important milestone,” said Michael Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space, during the Japan International Aerospace Exhibition Oct. 17. Observer status is granted to non-member states that want to be involved in program activities managed by OCCAR.

Eurodrone, which passed preliminary design review earlier this year, is the first unmanned aerial system designed for flight in non-segregated airspace and will be designed for mission modularity for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, Airbus’ website said. Airbus is the prime contractor, with the company’s Spain office as well as Dassault Aviation and Leonardo serving as the three main subcontractors.

In 2024, Japan has “already participated in various working sessions for the program together with German, French, Spanish and Italian partners,” and “if and when Japan would decide to go for a product like Eurodrone, of course we would, as Airbus, look for industrialization and full sovereignty in Japan,” Schoellhorn said.

Schoellhorn said an open system is a differentiator “that we bring as Europeans to the table. … We don't have black boxes, and we want to partner with the countries that we can do business with.”

Japan being part of the Eurodrone program, “albeit as an observer, is an important signal towards Europe industrially, politically and strategically,” he said. “And there’s a lot more dialogue between Japan and Europe when it comes to military cooperation, joint exercises and so forth.”

Japan attended a workshop hosted by OCCAR in Germany in September on Eurodrone system capabilities and concept of operation. The OCCAR website said the Japanese delegation from the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency and the Maritime Office of the Japanese Ministry of Defense received a full presentation from Airbus on the latest achievements and design status of the system.

Schoellhorn called the Eurodrone the “leading European medium altitude, long endurance drone” and is designed to be one of the main pillars of Europe’s Future Combat Air System.

The Future Combat Air System is another European collaboration between Germany, France and Spain and will be centered around a core “system of systems,” including a next-generation fighter to replace the Eurofighter and Rafale aircraft. Uncrewed systems called remote carriers will support the fighter and a combat cloud network will tie all the systems together, an Airbus fact sheet stated.

Meanwhile, Japan has partnered with the United Kingdom and Italy on a separate next-generation fighter project called the Global Combat Air Program.

While Schoellhorn encouraged international collaboration, he said the United Kingdom’s involvement in the Global Combat Air Program is one “which I personally regret, because I think Europe cannot afford two such programs. But it is what it is, and that's politically decided for now. I think at the very least what we should work on is making these two systems interoperable and also connecting them by the hip through weapons, through connectivity, and see how far we can get, potentially even interoperable unmanned systems.”

Regardless, Japan and Europe have many compelling reasons to partner, he said.

“I think Europe and Japan might be quite far apart when it comes to geography, but I think we have a lot in common when we talk about our joint values and our drive for technology,” he said. “And we share the opportunity to learn from each other and to collaborate for the security of our democracies and the ways of living in the 21st century. The threats we are both facing are on the rise, and they are mutual with a new and volatile world order that makes this essential for us to stand and work together.”

As the United States directs more and more energy towards the Indo-Pacific, Europe and Japan “as economic powerhouses” need to “do more in our respective regions to take the lead in making defense happen and ensure security,” he said.