What Happened
European Defence Agency Advances Loitering Munition Systems
The European Defence Agency has selected five companies to advance to field testing in its Sentinel Strike Challenge, a competition to evaluate loitering munition systems. The challenge aims to fill tactical gaps in precision strikes, navigation, and scouting missions for EU member states. The five finalists, including Helsing, Destinus, C-Astral, Spirit Aeronautical Systems, and UAVision, will each receive a 30,000-euro Stage 1 prize and will undergo operational trials in Portugal later this year. The trials are part of the EU OPEX26 operational experimentation campaign, and the data collected will help the EDA select the final winners, expected to be announced in 2027, as reported by Unknown Source.