As Europe ramps up defence production, testing capacity risks becoming a bottleneck to getting new equipment into service. Senior EDA officials called for closer cooperation between test centres to help ensure that new capabilities can support the Readiness 2030 agenda, during a community event hold in Germany.
European Union governments are increasing spending, production and procurement, but no new equipment can reach soldiers until it has been shown to work in real conditions and is safe.
Suitable test ranges, specialised equipment, agreed procedures and, above all, highly skilled people are now in short supply and face a growing workload. As a result, equipment that is ready to be bought may still have to wait before it is cleared for service.
“Without credible test evidence, innovation cannot become operational capability,” said Antonio Armada, EDA’s Director for Industry, Synergies and Enablers. He was speaking in Kiel, Germany, at EDA’s Test and Evaluation Community Days (29 September to 1 October 2026). “We need countries to open their specialised facilities to one another, actively participate in the test centre network, and work towards accepting each other’s test results. This will overcome fragmentation and Member States will get the most out of each of them for the benefit of the network”.
Making the most of the network
Building new centres is not a viable short-term solution, given the significant time required, as the political ambition is to achieve defence readiness as part of the European Union’s 2030 agenda.
EDA's answer is to make better use of what already exists. The
Defence Test and Evaluation Base network, known as DTEB, brings together more than 400 test and evaluation capabilities, helping them share capacity, use common methods, and avoid repeating the same test in every country. This also gives smaller companies and start-ups room to access serious defence testing.
Trusting each other’s results
For two decades, EDA has helped Member States connect their test centres and develop more coordinated approaches to testing. Its Test and Evaluation Community Days bring national experts, armed forces, industry and researchers together every two years to compare experience and identify opportunities to work together.
In parallel, the Agency encourages Member States to recognise each other's test results and certificates, so that equipment tested once can be accepted across Europe. Working together also builds confidence in test evidence produced by another country, helping reduce unnecessary repetition in national approval processes.
EDA’s
Joint Ammunition Qualification initiative is one effort towards that goal. For Europe’s defence investment to produce operational results, armed forces need equipment whose performance has been demonstrated and whose limitations are understood. Shared facilities, repeated trials during development, and greater acceptance of results can help them reach that point sooner.