The Portuguese Ministry of National Defence (MND) has authorised the country’s army to launch a procurement programme for tactical mini-unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
This long-expected wish by the army will allow it to provide intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capability to its battalion-sized units. The aim is to procure 12 aircraft and the associated systems to operate them, an MND spokesperson told IHS Jane’s on 25 May.
They are expected to be bought for a maximum EUR6 million (USD6.6 million), with payments between 2016 and 2021 through a tender to be run by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA).
All the vehicles will equip the army’s ISTAR unit (known as AgrISTAR), the service toldIHS Jane’s on 25 May. The unit was created in May 2015 and is based at the No. 3 Cavalry Regiment (RC3) in Estremoz.
To meet the army’s whole ISTAR requirements, EUR32.4 million was allocated in the country’s Military Programming Law 2015-26, approved in May 2015.
Photo: Portugal MND
Source: Jane’s 360