PRIZE CONTEST LOITERING MUNITIONS: “SENTINEL STRIKE CHALLENGE” & Information session on 17 March 2026

The European Defence Agency (EDA), through its Hub for European Defence Innovation (HEDI), is launching a ‘Prize Contest’* as part of the Operational Experimentation Campaign 2026 (OPEX261 PT) in Portugal. The initiative aims to accelerate the development, testing, and operational validation of advanced loitering munition and precision strike systems. Hosted by the Portuguese Army and integrated with the ARTEX26 exercise, the campaign will allow selected participants to demonstrate their technologies in realistic, controlled military environments alongside other emerging systems such as unmanned aerial and ground platforms. The Prize Contest seeks to produce objective performance data aligned with EU Member States’ operational needs, helping identify and mature promising defence technologies for rapid operational adoption. By enabling realistic experimentation, collaboration between industry and military stakeholders and structured technical assessments, the initiative supports informed capability development and future procurement decisions. Ultimately, it aims to strengthen Europe’s defence innovation ecosystem, improve interoperability and enhance the technological readiness and operational effectiveness of European armed forces. As part of the forthcoming Contest, EDA is organising an information session on 17 March 2026 from 14:00 till 16:00 (see hereunder Additional Information) .......................................................................................................................................................................... *Disclaimer: The European Defence Agency (EDA) launches a Prize Contest under Title IX of the Financial Regulation (Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509, Articles 209–210); a Prize Contest is a distinct instrument, separate from procurement or grants. To ensure visibility and market participation, the EDA publishes the contest notice in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU/TED). Participation will be governed by the Rules of Contest, which will be published on the EDA website at the launch of the contest, and which will set out eligibility, exclusion and award criteria, prize amount, and payment arrangements. This Prize Contest does not constitute a call for tenders, procurement procedure or contractual offer.