idD took part in the REPMUS 2023 Exercise (“Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping Augmented by Maritime Unmanned Systems”) organized by the Portuguese Navy, which is the largest operational unmanned systems experimentation exercise in the world. This exercise was conducted in Troia and Sesimbra and involved approximately 1,400 participants and more than 80 drones for testing.
This 13th edition of the exercise included the participation of 15 navies, mostly from NATO, and had 11 observers from various NATO organizations, as well as more than 40 entities, including representatives from industry and academy.
idD Portugal Defence was part of a delegation that included ISCTE, IAPMEI, CNPD, and DS Telecom, led by CMDT João Piedade, Head of the Innovation and Transformation Division. During the exercise, various resources and available technology in the Infante D. Henrique Technological Free Zone were presented.
This exercise illustrated that the coordination of various resources in diverse environments fosters interaction among participants and cultivates technical and operational proficiencies in prospective domains of operation. Moreover, it became clear that the tested unmanned maritime systems provide operational advantages that reach beyond military purposes, as they can undertake missions such as maritime search and rescue, urban rescue, maritime surveillance, and more.