Portugal defence roundup highlights AI platforms and Rafale plans

Portugal’s defence and space coverage is led by a reported MOU with Dassault for Rafale fighter jets on September 23, 2026, alongside new sovereign AI LLM platforms for the armed forces. AI Afonso is identified as a platform developed for Portugal´s Army, while AI Silicon Sailor is listed for Portugal´s Navy.

Portuguese unicorn TEKEVER is also featured after raising $580 million in a Series D investment round led by University of California Investments and Baillie Gifford, with participation from Merlyn Advisors, Crescent Cove Advisors LP, Ventura Capital and Iberis Capital. The round raised TEKEVER’s valuation to USD 6.4 billion and marked UC Investments’ first direct investment in Europe.

Space and security updates include Open Cosmos raising €300 million for next-generation satellites through its Open Constellation project, which aims to reduce Earth observation delivery time to 30 minutes instead of 48 hours. Other highlighted items cover Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellite images after a launch on 15 September 2026, venture capital growth in space tech sectors, Portugal’s purchase of a 13.7% stake in REN, EU-Canada trade and security talks, and 15 Startups chosen by NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator.