Saab heads EU industry push for a drone collision-avoidance kit February 22 Then-German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen (R) and French Defense Minister Florence Parly stand next to a mockup of the European MALE UAV drone at the ILA Berlin Air Show on April 26, 2018, in Schoenefeld, Germany. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images) COLOGNE, Germany – The European Commission has approved Saab to lead the bloc’s quest for a detect-and-avoid kit that would allow aerial drones to fly safely alongside civilian air traffic. European Union officials awarded a $26 million grant to that effect last December, which the Swedish company got approval to announce on Feb. 19. The European Detect and Avoid System (EUDAAS) effort is one of a raft of initiatives under the European Defence Industrial Development Programme, which spreads seed money far and wide on the continent in search of promising defense technology.