ANEPC drone fleet expansion — civil protection
Autoridade Nacional de Emergência e Proteção Civil (ANEPC) operates a dual-use drone fleet for wildfire monitoring, search and rescue, and post-disaster assessment. Annual procurement cycle, typically published pre-summer.
Programme summary
ANEPC's drone fleet is the largest single dual-use UAS deployment in Portuguese state service. Annual procurement cycles support fleet expansion, replacement, and capability upgrades. Tenders typically publish in late spring, ahead of the wildfire season.
The dual-use nature significantly eases export-licensing complexity for Nordic suppliers with civil protection product lines, and the operational use cases (wildfire spotting, post-flood assessment, SAR) overlap with tactical ISR requirements seen elsewhere in defence procurement.
Why it matters
Easiest entry point in the Portuguese state for Nordic UAS suppliers — dual-use framing, faster procurement cycles, less ITAR/export-control friction. A platform with ANEPC reference can subsequently move into Marinha and Exército programmes with reduced compliance friction.
Suggested matches in the directory
KrattWorks
7-year €15M contract with Estonian Defence Forces. Deployed in Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Estonia.
Threod Systems
Founded 2012. Preferred supplier to Ukrainian Armed Forces for short-range ISR and precision targeting.
SKYCORP Technologies
Hydrogen-powered long-endurance is a unique pitch for wildfire monitoring.
Rescue Drones Finland
Modular dual-use platform is purpose-built for this exact use case.
CAFA Tech
Niche category with few global players.
ANEPC has historically procured through framework agreements with one or two preferred suppliers, then refreshed those agreements every 4-5 years. Next major framework refresh is expected 2027-2028.