Today, Friday 8 May 2026, the Minister of National Defence, Nikos Dendias, completed his official visit to Portugal.
On the evening of Thursday 7 May 2026, Mr. Dendias, accompanied by his Portuguese counterpart, Nuno Melo, went to Portugal’s Air Base No. 11, where he visited the facilities of 506 th Aircraft Squadron, and was briefed on the operational capabilities of the new Embraer KC-390 transport aircraft.
Today, Friday 8 May 2026, the Minister of National Defence travelled to Lisbon Naval Base, where he visited the Operational Centre for Unmanned Vehicles – Innovation Cell, alongside the Deputy Minister for Defence Policy of Portugal, Nuno Pinheiro Torres.
Mr. Dendias was briefed on the development of prototype marine and submarine drones, and toured their proving grounds. During the visit, they examined the perspectives of cooperation between the CEOV and the Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation, as well between the Portuguese and the Hellenic defence ecosystems.
Subsequently, Mr. Dendias visited the headquarters of the European Maritime Safety Agency, where he was briefed on the role of drones in naval surveillance and security, as well as their role in the protection of the marine ecosystem.
The Minister of National Defence’s official visit to Portugal was held in the framework of reinforcing bilateral ties in the areas of Defence, Security, naval cooperation, and defence innovation.
