Slovenian unmanned aircraft manufacturer C-Astral Aerospace has advanced to the second stage of the European Defence Agency’s (EDA) Sentinel Strike Challenge, securing a €30,000 prize following the first stage’s technical evaluation.
Based in Ajdovscina, Slovenia, C-Astral specialises in the development and production of small fixed-wing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), including platforms for tactical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), border protection and other security applications.
The company is among five European manufacturers selected to take part in the challenge’s second stage, alongside Germany’s Helsing, the Netherlands’ Destinus, Portugal’s UAVision and Greece’s Spirit Aeronautical Systems.
The next stage involves operational field testing in Portugal as part of the EU OPEX26 experimentation campaign, conducted alongside the Portuguese Army’s ARTEX26 exercise. The participating systems will be evaluated across the precision-strike mission cycle and tested for resilience under challenging operational conditions.
The competition focuses on loitering munitions weighing up to 25 kg, with an operational range of up to 40 km. The five companies advancing to Stage 2 will compete for a total of €1.8 million in prizes, with results expected to be announced in 2027.
The Sentinel Strike Challenge is designed to provide European military users with comparable operational evidence on emerging loitering munition technologies. Selection for the second stage does not constitute a procurement contract or guarantee future orders.
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