Defense authorizes Armed Forces to purchase Class 2 drones for 9.7 million

The Minister of National Defense, Nuno Melo, has authorized the General Staff of the Armed Forces (EMGFA) to assume a multi-year commitment of up to 9,706,504.07 EUR for the purchase of Class 2 unmanned aircraft, components, systems, and associated services. The decision is contained in Order no. 13852/2026, signed on November 6 and published in the Diário da República, 2nd series, no. 220, on November 12, 2026, in the National Defense section. Value-added tax at the legal rate in force is added to the amount.

The expenditure is split between the years 2026 and 2027 and financed through funds from the Military Programming Law, registered and to be registered in the EMGFA budget, under the “Command and Control” capability and the “CL1 and CL2 unmanned means” project. This is an acquisition framed within the unmanned aerial systems (UAS) capability currently under development, which the order justifies by the evolution of the operational context and the need to strengthen the joint and combined capabilities of the Armed Forces.

Annual breakdown of the commitment

The order sets maximum expenditure ceilings per economic year, to which VAT is added:

• 2026: 6,794,552.85 EUR
• 2027: 2,911,951.22 EUR

The amount set for 2027 may be increased by the balance determined in the previous year, a mechanism that allows the funds not executed in 2026 to be carried over to the following year.

Maritime surveillance and search and rescue missions

The justification for the act is based on three operational uses identified as priorities:

• Maritime Surveillance (VIMAR)
• Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR)
• Search and Rescue (SAR)

According to the order, the introduction of these means allows for increased equipment availability, enhances their use in joint and combined operations, and favors the experimentation, development, and integration of new technologies and operational concepts.

Delegation of powers to the Chief of the General Staff

The Minister of Defense has delegated, with the power of sub-delegation, to the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, General João Guilherme Rosado Cartaxo Alves, the powers to perform all acts within the scope of pre-contractual procedures up to the signing of the contracts. The delegation also covers contractual execution until its term, including the powers to shape the contractual relationship, authorize payments, comply with tax obligations, and release guarantees.

The order requires that the exercise of these powers observes the applicable public procurement rules, that decisions are duly justified, and that they remain subject, where applicable, to the supervision of the Court of Auditors. The act enters into force on the day following its publication and takes effect from the date of signature.

The authorization is framed within Organic Law no. 1/2023, of August 17, Decree-Law no. 197/99, of June 8, Law no. 8/2012, of February 21, and articles 44 to 47 of the Code of Administrative Procedure.

The impact is twofold: on one hand, it sets at nearly 9.7 million euros the maximum expenditure envelope authorized for Class 2 drones, with funding already secured by the Military Programming Law and without the need for new discretionary budgetary allocation; on the other, it concentrates the management of the entire procurement process in the Chief of the General Staff, which shortens decision-making circuits but places the execution phase of an investment in maritime surveillance and search and rescue technologies under increased scrutiny by the Court of Auditors.

Source: Diário da República, 2nd series, no. 220, of November 12, 2026, National Defense (official reference: Order no. 13852/2026).