Military drones from Portugal: Army tests Beyond Vision systems on NATO mission in Slovakia

The Portuguese Army is sending two different unmanned aircraft systems from Beyond Vision to Slovakia. The military drones are to be operationally validated with the national contingent stationed there – the latest step for the Portuguese land forces in introducing systems developed in their own country.

There was already a precedent in 2014: at that time, a Tekever AR4 Light Ray supported a Portuguese battalion on a NATO mission in Kosovo. It was the first time a drone made in Portugal had been used in such a setting.

The systems are prototypes of Portuguese manufacture. The land forces defined the military requirements themselves, and the systems were developed with Portuguese engineering and industry. They emerged from a research and development project of the Army together with Beyond Vision. They are operated by a section for mini unmanned aerial vehicles (mini-UAV) with two teams and a total of four soldiers.

As the Chief of Staff of the Army (CEME), General Eduardo Mendes Ferrão, announced, the aircraft are being deployed to Slovakia and integrated there into the 4th National Deployed Force (4FND). This force is part of the multinational NATO battlegroup under Spanish leadership. After tests at home, the equipment now enters a phase of multinational operational validation; three months have been scheduled for trials in the NATO environment.

The two systems deployed belong to different typologies. They are intended to strengthen the Portuguese armed forces in reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence gathering and decision support.

BVQ407 and BVQ825 complement each other

The smaller of the two is the BVQ407, a compact first-person view (FPV) quadcopter. It was developed as a direct response to the Portuguese Army's request for a tactical platform. Including the inserted battery, the system weighs just over two kilograms and measures 580x580x200 millimetres; it is designed for transport and rapid deployment in the field. An 8,000 mAh lithium-ion battery provides up to 30 minutes of flight time, and the control range is up to twelve kilometres. With its real-time imagery, the drone gives operators an immediate overview of the situation during reconnaissance and short-term surveillance.

The second platform, the BVQ825, is a man-portable Class 3 quadcopter – the latest evolution of the company's own BVQ418 design. The considerably larger system has a maximum take-off weight of 25 kilograms and can carry a payload of eleven kilograms. Up to two payloads can be carried simultaneously and swapped quickly. The BVQ825 flies at up to 70 km/h, withstands winds of up to 60 km/h and achieves an endurance of 70 minutes.

Navigation is via an integrated RTK module for the global navigation satellite system (GNSS), which uses GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BeiDou and QZSS and achieves a positioning accuracy of around five centimetres. An artificial intelligence computer is also on board. Several links are available for communications, including 4G and 5G and, depending on configuration, a point-to-point radio link with a range of up to 100 kilometres. This redundancy is intended to maintain command and control even in contested or GNSS-degraded environments.

Military drones alongside Leopard and Pandur

In Slovakia, the drones join a force that already operates Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks and Pandur II 8×8 wheeled armoured vehicles. This allows the Army to test how airborne sensors and ground platforms interact. According to Mendes Ferrão, the deployment is to examine a broad range of questions on the ground – from tactics, procedures and the employment of the systems to their logistic support in the area of operations.

The CEME placed the initiative in the context of the pace of technological adaptation, which he counted among the greatest challenges for armed forces. The Army is therefore prepared to introduce new capabilities faster: systems are to enter operational use even before they reach full technological maturity and be developed further through practical testing. In his words, the Army, industry and the academic institutions involved all benefit equally from this approach.

The deployment is part of a broader modernisation strategy of the land forces that focuses on greater digitalisation and the growing integration of autonomous and unmanned systems. Since 2023, Beyond Vision has taken part in Army Technological Experimentation (ARTEX), the Portuguese Army's annual operational exercise at the Santa Margarida training area. The cooperation also extends to upcoming activities, such as the European Defence Agency's “HEDI-OPEX 2026” and the “Sentinel Strike OPEX” scheduled for September.

Around 120 Portuguese soldiers are currently stationed in Slovakia as part of the multinational NATO battlegroup. With the next rotation, their number is set to rise to 155 – part of NATO's enhanced presence on Europe's eastern flank following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.