ASTM International awarded NATO AIS Fund USV standardisation project
ASTM International has been awarded a new project under the NATO Accelerating Interoperability and Standardization (AIS) Fund titled ‘Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV) Standardization: Current Status and Future Outlook.’ The project supports NATO’s efforts to enhance interoperability, operational readiness, and future capacity by advancing coordinated approaches for unmanned surface vehicle (USV) technologies.
The project leverages ASTM International’s global expertise in advanced manufacturing, technical frameworks, and defence-focused collaboration to support NATO’s evolving maritime capability needs. The objective is to identify gaps and opportunities related to USV standardisation and associated frameworks, and to provide practical guidance and recommendations to NATO to help inform future standardisation priorities and capability development activities. As part of this effort, the project team will review relevant NATO and non-NATO standards, certification approaches, and enabling frameworks and will propose pathways for strengthened collaboration with external Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs), industry, and other stakeholders across the defence industrial base ecosystem.
ASTM International’s participation reflects its growing role in enabling defence industries globally through a combination of standards development, technical advisory services and training, pilot programs, qualification frameworks, and international collaboration. ASTM’s cooperation with NATO builds upon an existing Memorandum of Understanding that provides a formal foundation for advancing interoperability and alignment across defence technologies.
The project is delivered by a consortium led by Intracom Defense SA (IDE), serving as the Implementing Agent and primary contractor. IDE is a Greece-based defence systems company with experience in national defence programmes and exports to international customers. The consortium also includes Defence Standardization Advice PC (DEFSTAND), a Greek small and medium-sized enterprise with specialised expertise in interoperability and standardisation management.
“Defense readiness depends on more than standards alone—it requires trusted technical frameworks, collaboration across borders, and the ability to translate innovation into deployable capability,” said Dr Mohsen Seifi, Vice President of Global Advanced Manufacturing Programs at ASTM International. “ASTM International’s advanced manufacturing programmes team is excited to collaborate with our European partners to drive innovation and standardisation for USV technology that bolsters the future capacity of the NATO alliance. This project reflects our broader commitment to supporting defence stakeholders with the tools, partnerships, and expertise needed to move emerging technologies from concept to operational reality.”
Beyond NATO, ASTM International actively collaborates with the European Defence Agency (EDA), particularly in Additive Manufacturing, supporting defence innovation, qualification, and industrial scale-up. ASTM also works closely with the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (UK MoD) across multiple fronts, including advanced manufacturing, digitalisation, and emerging technologies, helping connect government, industry, and academia to accelerate defence capability development.
