EDA launches EUR2m loitering munitions contest

To support European capability planning, a new European Defence Agency prize contest will see industry demonstrate class I aerial loitering munitions in “realistic military environments”. 

The initiative aims to accelerate operational testing of emerging loitering munition technologies and provide EU member states with operational data. Contest entries are limited to small, man-portable, or light-vehicle-mounted drones with a maximum take-off mass of 25kg and an operational range of up to 40km.  

Entries should combine “intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, navigation, and precision strike functions within a single capability,” the agency stated on 5 May. 

The contest will distribute EUR2 million in funding across a two-stage process. In the first stage, applicants will submit technical proposals for evaluation, with up to 10 awards of EUR200,000 granted to leading entries. Five of the highest-ranked participants will then progress to the second stage. 

The bulk of funding, EUR1.8 million, will be distributed following further assessment in stage two. Selected systems will undergo live-fire testing during the Portuguese Army’s ARTEX26 exercise in September at the Santa Margarida Military Training Area. 

Evaluation will cover the entire precision strike mission cycle, from planning and deployment through to post-strike evaluation. 

The competition is scheduled to conclude with a final award ceremony in early 2027. 

Applications close on 4 June.