Portugal collaborates with NATO for tactical space-based intelligence
- Valerie Charoux
- Oct 1, 2025
- 2 min read
Defence News Europe - Portugal collaborates with NATO for tactical space-based intelligence providing target identification, through a collaboration between ICEYE, CTI Aeroespacial, the Portuguese Air Force, and Geosat. Here is what is the ICEYE ISR Cell for NATO space-based tactical Intelligence:
The NATO Tiger Meet exercise in Beja, Portugal was held on 22 –30 September 2025, in close coordination with the Centre of Space Operations from the Portuguese Air Force, according to ICEYE that provides monitoring to detect and respond to changes in any location on Earth, faster and more accurately than ever before.
What is the NATO Tiger Meet exercise held in Portugal?
The NATO Tiger Meet exercise highlights the collaboration between ICEYE, CTI Aeroespacial, the Portuguese Air Force, and Geosat for tactical space-based intelligence integrated seamlessly into operational environments, particularly for target identification and coherence change detection by bringing space-based data closer to the frontline.
The NATO Tiger Meet exercise just held in Portugal involved around 1,700 military personnel from 12 different countries with the aim to strengthen interoperability between allied forces. This included training focused on realistic scenarios of integrated air defense, offensive air combat, attack, and support for land and sea components, which are essential to respond to current military defense challenges.
What is the ICEYE ISR Cell for NATO space-based tactical Intelligence?
ICEYE, the global leader in Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite operations, demonstrated its operational capabilities through the ISR Cell that is a mobile unit that gives defense forces direct access to space-based tactical Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) in near real time. The data collected is rapidly analyzed and transformed into actionable knowledge, delivering information that is more current, accurate, and relevant.
What is Portugal's involvement in European Defence in 2025?
“Working alongside the Portuguese Air Force, CTI Aeroespacial, and GEOSAT, we are proving how tactical space-based intelligence can be seamlessly integrated into modern military operations, enabling critical decisions to be made in minutes, not hours,” stated Jordi Laguarda of ICEYE.
"Integrating the space component into an exercise of the scale of the NATO Tiger Meet shows that using satellite data in operational environments is already a reality for the Air Force. This achievement reflects a sustained effort to position the Air Force in Space, now recognized as the 5th Operational Domain. This forward-looking approach places us at the cutting edge of military operations and significantly enhances our information superiority. The active involvement of companies such as ICEYE, a global leader in its field, is a clear recognition from the space industry of the Portuguese Air Force’s role, making this partnership a milestone in our path toward Space," stated General João Cartaxo Alves, Chief of Staff of Portuguese Air Force.
