The Air Force hosted the final phase of testing for the Frontex Agency (European Border and Coast Guard Agency) innovation competition at the Shooting Range in Samora Correia, dedicated to combating the illegal use of drones at the European Union's borders, which took place between 29 and 30 October.

Co-organised by the Portuguese Air Force and the Internal Security System, and with the participation of observers from these two institutions, the Shooting Range was the venue for a competition involving the international companies that reached the final phase, namely Adevex Solutiones from Spain, Dat Com from Slovenia, MBDA France from France and Nordic Air Defence from Sweden. Each company presented technologies in simulated scenarios that reproduced real threats, such as smuggling and unauthorised surveillance using drones. The winner of the competition will be announced in the coming weeks by Frontex.

The Agency highlighted the collaboration of the Portuguese Air Force as having been essential to the success of the competition, by providing a controlled but realistic testing environment that allowed participating companies to recreate complex scenarios reflecting concrete operational challenges.

For the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General João Cartaxo Alves, ‘it is a source of pride for the institution to host this important competition, demonstrating its commitment to innovation and the development of advanced technological capabilities in the field of defence.’ ‘By participating in European innovation initiatives, the Air Force contributes to strengthening joint capabilities, promotes interoperability and knowledge sharing, and reinforces the technological autonomy of Portugal and Europe,’ he added.

Aija Kalnaja, Deputy Executive Director of Frontex, explains that "this competition aims to keep us one step ahead of our adversaries. We are bringing together innovative companies to support border management, responding to increasingly complex security challenges."

The aim of the tender is to support European security forces with non-military tools capable of detecting, tracking and neutralising drones used in illicit cross-border activities. The systems were evaluated for detection accuracy, flexibility and suitability for use by border and coast guard teams across Europe.

This is Frontex's second competition dedicated to combating the illicit use of drones, following a successful initiative in 2023 focused on the detection of low-altitude flying objects.