Switzerland to host EDA experimental exercise

The European Defence Agency (EDA) is expanding its ongoing series of capability experiment campaigns to Switzerland, which will test the performance of uncrewed systems for logistics and reconnaissance operations.  

According to an EDA announcement on 8 May, the Operational Experimentation (OPEX) campaigns – part of its Hub for European Defence Innovation – are designed to rapidly translate innovations into operational capabilities. 

Between 16–20 November at the Bure military area in Switzerland, the OPEX event will see UAVs and uncrewed ground vehicles (UGVs) assessed in a “large-scale” urban environment exercise.  

The EDA and Swiss military will specifically evaluate the delivery of goods to deployed units, the evacuation of injured personnel, and situational awareness.  

The Swiss event will complement another campaign taking place in Portugal at the beginning of autumn which will see industry demonstrate their class I aerial loitering munitions to the EDA in realistic military environments. 

Switzerland has an existing R&D-focused partnership with the EDA under an arrangement signed in 2025 and contributed to the first OPEX event in Italy that year. However, this is the first time such an event has been held in Switzerland.

By expanding EU OPEX activities to countries such as Switzerland, the EDA aims to strengthen “collaborative experimentation” and promote an exchange of knowledge. This is intended to accelerate the “integration of emerging technologies into operational use across Europe.”