Defence & Space News Europe

Defence News Europe - Denmark participates in TEKEVER´s USD 580 M Series D funding round through Denmark’s Export and Investment Fund (EIFO). This new investment increases the valuation of TEKEVER to reach USD 6.4 billion. Denmark’s Export and Investment Fund´s investment in Portuguese drone company TEKEVER builds on its existing ties with Denmark and comes at a time when the Portuguese Defence company is preparing to establish its first operational presence in the Nordic reg

Space News Europe - In February 2026, Telespazio Ibérica, a Leonardo Group company, was awarded the €20 million contract to develop the Canary Islands Satellite Constellation, the first Earth observation system created by a Spanish autonomous community. The Canary Islands Constellation aims at strengthening its Earth observation capabilities. Here is what is the Canary Islands Satellite Constellation and how it is linked to the European Federation of Satellite Constellation

Defence News Europe - Portugal Defence invested 40 million euros for Black Hawk helicopters from US company Lockheed Martin, with the first of the four helicopters already delivered on October 25th, 2026. The four UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters ordered by Portugal Defence will perform tactical transport, force projection and extraction, military operations support, and medical evacuation missions, expanding the response capacity of the Portuguese Armed Forces.

Defence News Europe - The Epirus Leonidas shield against drone swarms is listed in TIME Best Inventions 2026, dated Ocotber 15th, 2026. This acknowledgment underscores the impact of Leonidas’ high-power HPM technology as the Defence manufacturer continues to advance adaptable solutions for defeating dark drones and swarms. US defense tech company Epirus developed the Leonidas platform, which uses powerful pulses of microwave energy that can be beamed up from a driverless batt

Travel & Tourism News World - Tourism is a business of confidence, and confidence can change after a single frightening headline. Yet responsible risk communication requires more than repeating what has attracted attention online. On 24 October 2026, Saudi Civil Defence reported the interception of two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis towards the Makkah and Madinah regions. Debris was reported in Wadi Al-Mughammas in Makkah and in places in the governorates of Jedda

Defence News Europe - Portuguese Drone startup Beyond Vision raises 28 million euros in a Series A funding round led by Índico Capital Partners and Lince Capital, with follow-on investment from ActiveCap, a shareholder since 2024. This investment will help Beyond Vision to scale industrial production, accelerate development in AI and swarm capabilities, and expand their international presence in the Defense and critical infrastructure sectors.

Defence & Space News Europe - Portugal Defence is now operating two new ICEYE satellites within the Atlantic Constellation to strengthen the country´s sovereign capacity. The two Finnish satellites, that were acquired by Public Private Partnership CTI, were launched by SpaceX on October 20th from Cape Canaveral in the United States. Portugal´s Aerospace Technology and Innovation Center (CTI Aeroespacial ) was founded to elevate Portugal's position in the aerospace industry an

Defence News Europe - Portugal is investing heavily in the Defence Industry. Here are Portugal´s investments in the Defence Industry in 2026, according to a speech by Portugal´s Minister of National Defence, Nuno Melo, at the conference “Defense Industry: Positioning Portuguese Companies” organized by CIP – the Portuguese Business Confederation, in partnership with idD Portugal Defence. Portugal´s Minister of National Defence announced that Portuguese companies are participat

Defence & Space News Europe - Portugal Defence now has a tactical mobile satellite network created by MEO that combines 4G, 5G and satellite communications to ensure that the army will be able to maintain connections in the field when conventional networks are unavailable. Portugal´s new tactical mobile satellite network, called a "tactical bubble," can be installed quickly and ensures a coverage of more than ten kilometers in open terrain. The tactical bubble network was des

Defence News Europe - Here are the European countries that receive the most VC Defence investment in 2026, according to the State of Defence Tech 2026 by Dealroom. Higher defence spending generally comes with more defence VC funding. Four years after Russiaʼs 2022 invasion, Ukraineʼs wartime posture is driving massive public and private investment, with defense absorbing 37% of GDP and 37% of VC funding. Key Defence Tech sectors in Europe include Drones (UAVs), that represent

News Economy Europe - The “CEO Forum Portugal–United States” will bring together governments and companies from both countries to promote trade, investment, and new opportunities for cooperation in strategic sectors. The new platform fulfills the commitment made at the 52nd Permanent Bilateral Commission, held in Lisbon in January 2026. The objective is to deepen economic relations between Portugal and the United States and strengthen cooperation in areas such as technology a

Tech News - Voices calling for global collaborative regulatory control over AI: “I have major issues with the people and the companies behind AI,” says Ioannis Ioannou, associate professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at London Business School. “It's a huge concentration of power.” Ekaterina Abramova, of the London Business School, is particularly concerned about AI making consequential decisions in the military. Do we really want to trust agentic systems with lethal auto

Defence & Cybersecurity News - For a business waiting for imported components, maritime security can sound remote until delivery dates move and stock runs short. Portugal’s Atlantic location offers geographic opportunities, but distance does not insulate an economy from disruption elsewhere on shipping routes. On 8 October, the UAE Federal National Council joined the discussion of a proposed maritime-security resolution at the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

Travel & Tourism News - A hotel receptionist in Lisbon has no role in air traffic control. Still, a disruption at a distant airport can change the receptionist's day: guests arrive late, transfers are missed, tour bookings are rearranged, and families ask for information that even airlines have not yet confirmed. Recent attacks on Saudi airports, followed by the UAE's condemnation of targeting civilians and economic facilities, have highlighted how closely aviation safety and

Defence & Aerospace News Europe - Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace expects to invest 50 million euros in a new drone manufacturing plant in Portugal. This will be the company´s first international manufacturing Hub for their flagship autonomous combat drone, the Kaal Bhairava, in Portugal that is made possible through a strategic partnership with SKETCHPIXEL LDA and its spin-off KEYDEF. What is the AI-powered combat drone that will be made in Portugal?

What an aviation security incident says about resilient business systems in the UAE and Portugal: The security incident aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 on 30 September is still under investigation, and that fact should discipline every serious discussion of it. UAE authorities have confirmed that the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv experienced a security incident, was diverted and landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia. We do not need to guess the motive to recognise the

Defence News Europe - Belgium invests 50 million euros for an Ammunition factory in Portugal, according to a statement by Portugal´s Ministry of National Defence dated September 29, 2026. Here is how Portugal is recovering the country´s production capacity of small arms and ammunition:

How Crime Prevention Is Becoming Economic Infrastructure: Security is usually treated as a cost that sits beside the economy. The 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, now under way in Abu Dhabi, is a reminder that this separation is increasingly artificial. Fraud, cybercrime, organized theft, illicit finance and attacks on supply chains do not merely create police cases. They change the cost of doing business:

Defence News Europe - Portugal´s Defence Hub Baseyard invests €20 million in an industrial plant in Braga that is located in northern Portugal. Here is what is Portugal´s Defence Hub Baseyard:

Defence News Europe - Portugal signs an MOU with Dassault for Rafale fighter jets on September 23, 2026:

Investment News Europe - Portuguese Unicorn TEKEVER raises $580 million Series D investment round led by University of California Investments and Baillie Gifford, marking UC Investments’ first direct investment in Europe, with the participation of Merlyn Advisors, Crescent Cove Advisors LP, Ventura Capital and Iberis Capital. This investment round raises the valuation of TEKEVER to USD 6.4 billion.

Defence News Europe - Here are the new Sovereign AI LLM platforms of Portugal Defence: AI Afonso developed for Portugal´s Army and AI Silicon Sailor for Portugal´s Navy:

Environment News Europe - Here are beautiful Satellite images of Greece, Italy and France taken by Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellite that was successfully launched on 15 September 2026:

Space News Europe - Open Cosmos raises 300 million euros for next-generation satellites with its Open Constellation satellites, which consist of a shared constellation with the aim of reducing the delivery time of Earth observation to 30 minutes instead of 48 hours.

Space Tech News - Here are the Space Tech sectors with the highest growth in Venture Capital, according to a report by PitchBook dated August 25, 2026:

Business News Europe - Portugal tries to offset China´s control over its power grid by purchasing a 13.7% stake in REN. This follows the news report that China’s state-owned company State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) was the largest shareholder of Portugal´s Critical Infrastructure in Foreign Policy Magazine following a Portugal Business News report on China´s influence on Portugal´s Power Grid. Here are the main shareholders of Portugal´s Power Grid operator REN since Se

Business News Europe - The EU and Canada are negotiating a Trade and Security Agreement, according to a Bloomberg report dated September 8th, 2026:

Defence News World - Here is the list of 15 Startups chosen by NATO´s Defence Innovation Accelerator DIANA Mission Track, that is a critical step towards turning innovative technologies into operational capabilities for NATO:

Defence News Europe - Portugal´s Navy is hosting REPMUS 2026, the world's largest robotics and Maritime Unmanned Systems exercise in collaboration with the NATO Joint Capability Group Maritime Unmanned Systems, the European Defence Agency, the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, and the Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation on August 31st - September 25th, 2026. Here is what is REPMUS 2026:

Defence News Europe - Portugal is investing 133 million euros to buy 75 Military Vehicles from UROVESA Spain. The investment is funded by EU SAFE, with deliveries expected between 2027 and 2029, according to an announcement by Portugal´s Ministry of Defence dated August 27th, 2026. Here is what are VAMTAC military vehicles:

Tech News Europe - Portuguese startup GTechPlasma developed revolutionary Stealth Technology for high-quality graphene production with unique properties for absorption-based electromagnetic shielding and stealth applications that could make drones and airplanes nearly invisible to radars. Here is how the Graphene developed by GTechPlasma may revolutionize the Defence Industry:

Space News Europe - The European Space Agency can create artificial solar eclipses lasting up to 6 hours through the Proba-3 mission that uses the TEKEVER GAMALINK technology to coordinate the Occulter satellite to block sunlight, while the Coronagraph satellite has the time to observe the Sun's corona. Here is how TEKEVER’s technology creates a total solar eclipse on demand:

Defence & Space News Europe - Portuguese Neuraspace has raised 15.6 million euros for European Space Defence in a funding round led by LINCE CAPITAL, Explorer Investments and Armilar Venture Partners, together with funding awarded under the Recuperar Portugal Plan, according to an announcement dated August 5th, 2026:

Defence News Europe - An innovative Portuguese TEKEVER AR3 drone surprises Russian authorities because they had never seen anything like it before, since the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) had a different tail and wing structure, according to statement by a Russian Commander on August 3, 2026:

Defence News Europe - Indra Spain is investing 200 million euros for a Military Vehicles Plant to accelerate the development of one of Europe’s largest industrial Hubs with the capacity to produce around 500 military vehicles a year, according to an announcement dated July 30, 2026:

Space News Europe - Portugal invests 600,000 euros to investigate Mars through five research projects funded by the European Space Agency under the PROSSE program as listed below. Here are the Portugal Space Agency´s 5 research projects to investigate Mars:

Defence News Europe - Portuguese company UAVision will test attack drones for the European Defence Agency (EDA) during the EU's OPEX26 exercise in Portugal. The experimentation will focus on Loitering Munition Systems, that is a type of attack drone that searches for a target before striking, under controlled, realistic and operationally relevant conditions. Here is the list of the Top 10 attack drone companies in the EU:

Defence News Europe - Portuguese drones from TEKEVER will supply the British Army under £400 million Project CORVUS. TEKEVER will provide a fleet of spy drones to equip British soldiers, according to an announcement by the British Ministry of Defence dated July 25, 2026. Here are the specifications of the AR5 surveillance drones:

Space News Europe - The Azores Space Tech Hub will launch the Space Rider in 2028, while Space companies including Space Forge, Orbital Paradigm, the Atlantic Spaceport Consortium (ASC), Space Forest, Stellar Kinetics, ATMOS Space Cargo and US companies plan to establish operations in Portugal´s new Space Hub. Portugal´s new Space industry is a geo-strategic location with the Santa Maria Space Hub in the Azores set to become a critical infrastructure for the European Defence

Defence News Europe - Portugal purchases three FREMM EVO frigates for around €3.9 billion from Italian company FINCANTIERI, with delivery expected to be between 2029 and 2030. Here are the specifications of FREMM EVO frigates:

Space News Europe - Here is what is the Atlantic Spaceport Consortium and the list of members of the Atlantic Spaceport Consortium (ASC):

Defence News Europe - Portugal increases its Defence Spending to 3.1% of GDP in 2026, according to an announcement by Portugal´s Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, at the NATO Summit held in Ankara on July 7-8, 2026. Here is the list of Portugal´s Defence priorities:

Defence News Europe - Here is Europe´s NATO Defence Investment per country in 2026, as well as the the total NATO Defence Investment of Europe and Canada in 2026, according to the NATO report published on July 7th, 2026:

Defence News Europe - Portugal`s Navy will receive a drone carrier worth 132 million euros in April 2027, that is the first European multi-platform drone carrier:

Space News Europe - Here is the list of the Top 20 companies in Portugal´s Space Industry, according to a report produced by Portugal Space and Novaspace, published on July 2, 2026:

Defence News Europe - Portugal will receive heavy military equipment worth 5.8 billion euros under the EU SAFE (Security Action for Europe) fund and is also revising its Military Programming Law. Here is date and the list of heavy military equipment to be received by Portugal, as well as Portugal´s Defence capabilities deployed under NATO, and Portugal´s share of GDP allocated to Defence:

Defence News Europe - Here are the new EU Counter Terrorism measures including measures to fight cross-border crime through Europol and Eurojust, according to an announcement published by the European Commission dated June 24, 2026:

Defence News Europe - Spanish FOSSA Systems just raised 9.25 million euros for Defence Satellites in a funding round led by Kibo Ventures, according to an announcement dated June 24, 2026. Here are the new investors of FOSSA Systems and their expansion plans: