SMEs enter EDA loitering munitions challenge final

Two SMEs have been named among the finalists for the European Defence Agency’s ‘Sentinel Strike Challenge’, which will see a total of five companies field test their loitering munition technologies.

According to an announcement by the defence agency on 29 July, the challenge final is intended to provide defence ministries with evidence on which technologies could contribute to future capabilities. 

SMEs C-Astral (Slovenia) and UAVision (Portugal) will take part in the final, due to be held in autumn at the Santa Margarida military training area in Portugal. 

During the tests, military end users from EU member states will assess the performance of the technologies, their resilience under operational conditions, and how they compare to each other. 

Each of the loitering munition technologies has a maximum take-off mass of 25kg, with an operational range of up to 40km. 

The other finalists taking part in the challenge are Destinus (Netherlands), Helsing (Germany), and Spirit Aeronautical Systems (Greece). 

According to the defence agency, a total of EUR1.8 million in prizes is available to the companies. 

The agency also highlights that the challenge is “not a procurement competition” and no contracts are promised to the winners. 

The winners of the challenge are expected to be announced in 2027.

Getting to the final

In the first stage of the challenge, the loitering munition technologies were evaluated on their maturity, operational relevance, and demonstration feasibility. 

Aside from the five finalists, which each received EUR30,000 as a prize for advancing to the final, the remaining companies in the top ten were awarded with EUR10,000 each. 

These companies are Thales Land & Air Systems (France) and SMEs Altus LSA (Greece), Cerberon Defence Systems (Germany), Renegade UxS (Denmark), and Robotto (Denmark). 

What are loitering munitions?

A loitering munition is an aerial weapon system capable of circling or hovering over a target area for an extended period before striking.