On 19 September, two aircraft were launched from balloons at altitudes of 15 and 30 km as part of a partnership between Técnico and the Portuguese Navy. “This marks a national record for unmanned aircraft flights in Portugal,” says Alexandra Moutinho, a professor at Técnico and a researcher at the Mechanical Engineering Institute (IDMEC). The aircraft successfully landed on the NRP Setúbal, an ocean patrol vessel.

The flights were part of the 14th edition of REPMUS (Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping with Maritime Unmanned Systems), an annual military exercise organised by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Portugal hosted the event, which involved the collaboration of the Portuguese Navy’s Unmanned Systems Innovation and Operational Experimentation Cell (CEOV).

The ‘Eye in the Sky’ project, coordinated by Alexandra Moutinho and Carlos Henriques, a researcher at IDMEC, aims to provide extended coverage of communications and aerial images. The system could be used to detect and monitor fires, place sensors in remote areas (oceanic or terrestrial), and act as a temporary satellite to observe the Earth or facilitate emergency communications. According to the researcher, ‘the system’s speed and ease of launch, as well as its reduced thermal and acoustic signatures, have attracted the interest of potential users in both civilian and military domains’.

The REPMUS exercise, which took place between 9 and 27 September, in Tróia and Sesimbra, also involved the VIGILANT research project (unmanned ground vehicle developed in collaboration with the Army) and the students’ organisations Técnico Solar Boat (autonomous electric boat) and AeroTéc – Aerospace Engineering Students’ Organisation, with the Atlas Project (autonomous aircraft).

The REPMUS exercise took place between September 9th and 27th in Tróia and Sesimbra. It involved the VIGILANT research project (unmanned ground vehicle developed in collaboration with the Army), as well as the students’ organisations Técnico Solar Boat (autonomous electric boat) and AeroTéc – Aerospace Engineering Students’ Organisation, with the ‘Atlas’ Project (autonomous aircraft).

In June, the ‘Eye in the Sky’ and ‘UGV Vigilant’ (ground drone) projects participated in the 2nd edition of Artex (Army Technological Experimentation). This programme, organised by the Portuguese Army for its modernisation, allows companies and higher education institutions to test technological solutions under development with potential military applications in the field.