The programme is designed to give armed forces evidence of what the technologies can do outside controlled demonstrations. Unmanned systems, loitering munitions and electronic communications will be assessed for their performance, interoperability and potential operational use.
EU OPEX is being held within ARTEX 26, the Portuguese Army’s annual experimentation campaign. The event also brings in BraveTech EU, an EU-Ukraine defence innovation initiative, and the Sentinel Strike contest, whose five loitering munition finalists are competing for €1.8 million in prizes.
Testing will start with individual systems and missions in a single domain before moving to more complex scenarios. The later stages are intended to show how different technologies work together across land and air operations.
The planned missions include drones sending reconnaissance information to commanders from a hostile environment. Aerial and ground systems will work together to move supplies to frontline troops, while loitering munitions will be tasked with engaging multiple targets at night.
Cross-domain field tests are scheduled for 7 and 8 October. A further event on 14 October will bring political leaders, military representatives and defence stakeholders to observe demonstrations and examine the technologies tested during the campaign.
