EDA selects five finalists for loitering munition challenge

Published Jul 29, 10:05 AM UTC

The European Defence Agency (EDA) has selected five companies for the second phase of its Sentinel Strike Challenge, a competition focused on loitering munition systems. The finalists include C-Astral Aerospace (likely with its MWT system), UAVision (with ELANUS), Spirit Aeronautical Systems/S.A.S. Technology (with AIHMI AHM-1X), and possibly Destinus (with RUTA). In autumn, their systems will be tested under realistic operational conditions as part of EU OPEX26 in Portugal. Military users from EU member states will evaluate technical capabilities, operational cycle performance, resilience, and direct comparisons. A total prize money of 1.8 million euros is available, though the EDA emphasizes this is not a procurement competition. The testing aims to provide comparable data to support European defense ministries in future capability evaluations. Overall winners are to be announced in 2027.

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