🇵🇹 Portugal news, in English, every morning. Free. Subscribe

The Portugal Brief

Home
Politics
Economy
Guides
About

Sign in Subscribe

Defence

An Embraer A-29 Super Tucano light attack and training aircraft parked on an airfield apron

Portugal Declares a National Public Interest in Assembling Embraer's Super Tucano, and Points at Beja Air Base

The Council of Ministers approved a deliberation on Thursday recognising the national public interest in a final assembly line for the A-29N Super Tucano, naming Air Base No. 11 at Beja as the intended site under conditions. No investment figure or job count has been published.

The Portugal Brief 20 Aug 2026

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

Subscribe to The Portugal Brief

Don't miss out on the latest news. Sign up now to get access to the library of members-only articles.

Sign up
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service
Partner with Us
Editorial Standards

The Portugal Brief © 2026. Powered by Ghost

Operated by Thrifty Explorations LLC.

[email protected]