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Defence

The Palácio de São Bento in Lisbon, seat of Portugal's Assembly of the Republic, with the national flag flying against a blue sky

Portugal's €5.8 Billion in EU Defence Loans Escapes Binding Court of Auditors Scrutiny

Portugal will borrow up to €5.8bn under the EU's SAFE defence-financing scheme, but the Court of Auditors and the Attorney General's Office are not formally required to oversee the spending — their involvement would be informal and discretionary, despite the Defence Minister's public assurances.

The Portugal Brief 29 Jul 2026

A Portuguese Navy frigate flying the national flag steams at speed through choppy Atlantic seas alongside a larger grey United States Navy warship

Defence Ministry Promises a 'Notable' Economic Payback From Portugal's €3.9 Billion Order for Three Fincantieri Frigates

Portugal is buying three FREMM EVO frigates from Italy's Fincantieri for €3.9 billion, its first SAFE-programme contract. The Defence Ministry says Portuguese firms will build combat systems, simulators and a floating dock, with €150-200 million more for the Arsenal do Alfeite.

The Portugal Brief 25 Jul 2026

A Portuguese Navy frigate marked F 474 sailing at speed through open sea, viewed from the front left

The Navy Becomes the First Branch of Portugal's Armed Forces to Deploy the Home-Grown Amália AI

The Portuguese Navy will become the first branch of the armed forces to run a home-grown AI, spending about €910,000 on 'Marinheiro de Silício', a platform built on the state-backed Amália language model. Funded through the PRR, it will search and summarise internal documents on Navy-controlled infr

The Portugal Brief 10 Jul 2026

A small fixed-wing surveillance drone launching from a catapult rail as two operators watch, with the open sea in the background

Tekever Snaps Up AI Software Firm Cloudsweep to Deepen Its Drone-Engineering Push

Tekever, Portugal's best-known drone maker, has acquired Cloudsweep, a Portuguese startup that applies artificial intelligence to software development. Terms were undisclosed; the deal embeds AI into Tekever's engineering and keeps specialised talent at a company with 1,300-plus staff across six cou

The Portugal Brief 07 Jul 2026

A Portuguese Navy frigate under way at sea near a coastline

Portugal Joins Three of the EU's Five Flagship Defence Projects, From Drones to Seabed Security

Portugal has joined three of the five European Defence Projects of Common Interest unveiled by Brussels on 3 July: the Decoder drone programme, the IMSD maritime and seabed-defence effort, and the EU-FIAMD air- and missile-defence shield — part of a push worth some €190 billion by 2036.

The Portugal Brief 06 Jul 2026

A Portuguese Air Force F-16 fighter jet with tiger-themed Esquadra 301 Jaguares tail livery parked on a wet apron

Portugal's Defence Industry Courts American Money After Clearing NATO's 2% Spending Bar

Having hit NATO's 2% of GDP target for the first time in 2025, Portugal is pitching its 380-plus defence firms to American investors. The sector's revenue has grown 20% in a decade, 40% of output is exported, and Lisbon wants rising military budgets to flow into domestic industry.

The Portugal Brief 01 Jul 2026

A formation of four Eurofighter Typhoon military fighter jets flying together against a clear blue sky.

Portugal Approves a Lufthansa Plan to Train German Air Force Pilots on Portuguese Soil

Portugal has approved a non-binding declaration of intentions with Lufthansa to study a pilot school on Portuguese soil, training around 100 pilots a year for the German Air Force and potentially other NATO allies, alongside the group's growing maintenance footprint in the country.

The Portugal Brief 28 Jun 2026

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