AED Cluster Portugal

AED Cluster Portugal, formally AED – Associação Portuguesa para o Cluster das Indústrias de Aeronáutica, Espaço e Defesa, is the Portuguese cluster for the aeronautics, space and defence industries. The private non-profit association was created in 2016 and in 2017 received the label of Strategic National Competitiveness Cluster from the Portuguese government. It has offices at the Alentejo Science and Technology Park in Évora and at the Lisbon Technology Park, and is funded by membership fees and co-financed projects.

According to the cluster, it brings together more than 170 Portuguese entities, including companies, research institutes and universities, active in the aeronautics, space and defence sectors. Its strategy rests on four pillars: funding and regulation, people and skills, innovation and value, and markets and opportunities. Defence-related members include unmanned aircraft makers such as Tekever, UAVision, Beyond Vision and Connect Robotics. The cluster runs internationalisation projects for small and medium-sized companies, organises the annual AED Days conference and represents Portuguese industry at international trade fairs such as Eurosatory 2026.

The cluster acts as an interface between Portuguese industry and international prime contractors. In 2025 it signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus, under which the two presented a white paper in September 2026 on the industrial benefits of the Eurofighter Typhoon for Portugal. Also in September 2026 it signed a memorandum of understanding with Dassault Aviation, acting for its Rafale partners Thales and Safran, to explore cooperation with Portuguese companies in the context of the planned replacement of the Portuguese Air Force’s F-16 fleet.