EDA Selects Five Firms for Sentinel Strike Loitering Munition Finals (defence24.com)

• EDA advances five firms to Sentinel Strike Challenge finals after first stage.
• Selected companies based in Germany, Netherlands, Slovenia, Portugal, and Greece.
• Stage 2 testing set for Santa Margarida, Portugal, during EU OPEX26; winners share up to EUR 1.8 million.

"The European Defence Agency has concluded the first stage of its Sentinel Strike Challenge, a two-stage competition to evaluate and field-test loitering munition technologies from European industry. More than 140 companies expressed interest. The EDA has selected five to advance: Helsing (Germany), Destinus (Netherlands), C-Astral Aerospace (Slovenia), UAVision (Portugal), and SAS Tech (Greece). The second stage will involve field testing at the Santa Margarida military training area in Portugal during EU OPEX26. Military users from EU member states will assess the systems under realistic, operationally relevant conditions. Stage 2 prizes total up to EUR 1.8 million."