Turkish naval programmes gain momentum inside NATO
STM has started construction of the second Portuguese Navy logistics ship as Turkish naval programmes simultaneously advance in Portugal, Romania and Türkiye.
Portugal News
Navy / Maritime
Logistics
Navy / Maritime
Unmanned Systems
Portugal’s New Multifunctional Ship Launched in Romania
The Portuguese Navy’s Multifunction Naval Platform D. João II (A5209) for unmanned platforms was launched at Damen’s Galati shipyard located in Romania.
Navy / Maritime
Keel Laying Ceremony Held for Portugal’s First AOR+ Ship
The keel laying ceremony for the Portuguese Navy’s first of two Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment and Logistics Support Ships (AOR+) was held at Ada Shipyard.
Navy / Maritime
STM Holds Steel Cutting for Portugal’s Logistics Ships
The steel cutting ceremony for the two Auxiliary Oiler Replenishers and Logistics Ships (AOR+) to be built for the Portuguese Navy by STM was held in Istanbul.
Navy / Maritime
Simulator / AI / Drill/ Software
NATO Launches Third Neptune Strike Drill in European Waters
22–26 September, NATO’s Neptune Strike 25-3 gathers 10,000 troops from 13 allies to show maritime strike strength and secure vital seas from Med to Baltic.
Navy / Maritime
Modernisation
NSPA to Upgrade Portuguese Navy’s MEKO 200PN Frigates
The Portuguese Navy demands NATO’s NSPA to extend the service life of its multi-purpose frigates of the Vasco da Gama (MEKO 200PN) class through tenders.
Air
Bilateral Relations
Canada and Portugal Consider Gripen Amid F-35 Doubts
Saab said NATO members Canada and Portugal are reviewing the JAS 39 Gripen E/F as they reconsider their dedication to the US-made F-35A Lightning II fighter.
Air
Bilateral Relations
Lisbon Rejects F-35 Purchase Amid Geopolitical Concerns
Portugal rules out F-35 acquisition, citing fears over US policy shifts and software restrictions signalling a possible shift to European alternatives.
Ammunition
Logistics
Turkiye Joins NATO’s Ammunition Warehousing Initiative
Turkiye and Portugal have joined the Multi-National Ammunition Rehousing Initiative (MAWI) to improve ammunition stockpiling management.
Navy / Maritime
Logistics
STM to Build Naval Logistics Ships for the Portuguese Navy
STM will design and build two Auxiliary Oiler Replenishers and a Logistics Ship for the Portuguese Navy in Turkiye.
Analysis
Air
Simulator / AI / Drill/ Software
Regional / Strategy
NATO's Red Flag Against Russia: Ramstein Flag
The balances have changed after Russia’s attempt to invade Ukraine. NATO tries to respond with the Ramstein Flag Exercise.
Simulator / AI / Drill/ Software
Unmanned Systems
Royal Navy Shows Unmanned Capabilities in REPMUS 2024
Royal Navy has displayed its various USV and UAV capabilities in REPMUS 2024 wargames held in Portugal.
Air
Bilateral Relations
Portugal Donates Ka-32 Cargo Helicopters to Ukraine
The Portuguese MoD has announced the final delivery of six Ka-32A11BC cargo helicopters to Ukraine.
Navy / Maritime
Unmanned Systems
EID Provides C4I for Portugese Drone Motherships
Portugal-based EID will provide Command-Control-Communication-Computers-Intelligence systems for future PNM ships.
Global Defence Trend Brief
- 12:00 Italy gives conditional approval to Leonardo-Baykar drone venture - Reuters reported that Italy has conditionally approved the Leonardo–Baykar joint venture to produce...
- 12:00 USNI looks at Türkiye’s defence-industrial rise through EFES 2026 - USNI News used the EFES 2026 exercise to examine how Türkiye is linking operational military activit...
- 12:00 Reuters tracks Ankara’s goal of doubling defence exports - Reuters reported that Turkish officials want to double defence exports within two years after export...
- 12:00 Breaking Defense highlights Turkish one-way attack systems at SAHA 2026 - Breaking Defense reported that Turkish companies used SAHA 2026 to unveil multiple one-way attack sy...
- 12:00 Defense News spotlights ASELSAN’s autonomous warfare concept - Defense News reported that ASELSAN used SAHA 2026 to present a future warfare concept centred on aut...
- 12:00 Le Monde examines Türkiye’s expanding defence footprint in Mali - Le Monde reported that Türkiye has become an increasingly important security partner for Mali throug...
- 12:00 French strategic study identifies Türkiye as a rising European supplier - The Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique assessed Türkiye as one of the most notable new entrants...
- 12:00 Middle East Forum analyses Baykar’s expansion into Europe - A Middle East Forum analysis argued that Baykar’s growing presence in Europe shows how production ca...
- 12:00 Jerusalem Post highlights Baykar’s export-heavy revenue model - The Jerusalem Post reported that Baykar generated roughly $1.8 billion in drone exports in 2024 and...
- 12:00 Foreign defence reporting keeps focus on KAAN’s next prototype phase - International defence coverage continued to highlight Turkish Aerospace’s target for the first ‘true...
- 09:00 NATO pushes allies to fill US air and naval capability gaps - Washington is pressing European allies and Canada to provide more manned and unmanned aircraft plus...
- 09:00 AI-driven drone swarms rise as a new NATO planning priority - NATO officials are warning that AI-enabled drone swarms could reshape warfare within five years, pus...
- 09:00 Counter-drone demand expands beyond battlefields into critical infrastructure - Growing drone incursions around airports, ports, oil facilities and data centres are accelerating de...
- 09:00 Europe’s loyal wingman race becomes a core airpower trend - Collaborative combat aircraft took centre stage at Berlin Airshow 2026 as European companies and air...
- 09:00 Ukraine’s drone combat know-how is becoming an export asset in Asia - Ukrainian drone firms are marketing battlefield-proven systems and swarm concepts in Japan, Taiwan a...
- 09:00 NATO accelerates live testing of counter-drone technologies - Alliance members and industry partners are expanding field trials of drone detection and interceptio...
- 09:00 Hypersonic threats keep driving demand for persistent tracking networks - The spread of hypersonic weapons continues to push Western defence planners toward integrated radar...
- 09:00 Military space resilience shifts toward larger distributed constellations - Armed forces are increasingly favouring proliferated satellite constellations over a small number of...
- 09:00 Autonomous maritime systems gain importance in surveillance and strike planning - Navies are broadening interest in autonomous surface and underwater systems for persistent ISR, infr...
- 09:00 Industrial surge capacity is becoming a decisive defence metric - Across missiles, drones and air defence, governments are placing more weight on production scalabili...
