FACT advancement demonstrated during its third End User Conference: System Design and First Proof of Concept

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.

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 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.

The FACT project involves 19 participating entities, coordinated by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. Partners are: Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS, Austrian Institute of Technology SIHTASUTUS CR14, Space Hellas, Nokia Bell Labs, Leonardo, Thales Norway, Norges Tekniske og Naturvitenskaplige Universitet, LMT, TERMA AS, certSign SA, Rheinmetall, ELECTRONICS GMBH, Emproof BV, C&V Consulting, Bianor SERVICES EOOD, BALTIJOS PAZANGIU TECHNOLOGIJU INSTITUTAS, Crosshill OY, Approach Belgium SA, and UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI GENOVA. They represent 12 EU Member States and one European associated country.

FACT is co-funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement Nr. 101121335, awarded through the European Defence Fund (EDF) in 2022.