First in Europe: Portugal builds warship designed for all unmanned systems Air, Surface, and Underwater

Portugal is building the first warship in Europe designed solely for servicing unmanned aerial, surface, and underwater systems.

The new ship, named D João II, is intended to transform maritime security operations and enhance the country’s ability to project power across seas and oceans, Caliber.Az reports via Western media.

According to Portuguese Navy representative Ricardo Sá Granja, the ship is being constructed at a shipyard in Galați, Romania, owned by the Dutch company Damen. The total project cost is €132 million, most of which is financed through EU recovery funds. The vessel is expected to enter service in the second half of 2026. Its key feature is modularity, allowing rapid changes to mission profiles without structural compromises, providing high operational flexibility.

D João II will enable Portugal to perform a wide range of tasks—from real-time data collection and environmental monitoring to rescue operations and civilian evacuation from conflict zones. The ship can simultaneously support multiple unmanned platforms, including aerial, surface, and underwater drones, with a significant portion of the systems produced domestically.

The Portuguese Navy is actively collaborating with national technology companies and planning international partnerships, including with Ukraine, with which it has signed an agreement for joint production of underwater drones.

The project also addresses modern security challenges. Portugal, which has the largest exclusive economic zone in the EU, faces threats from foreign navies, including increased Russian activity in the Atlantic in recent years. D João II will allow effective monitoring and countering of hybrid threats, such as sabotage of underwater infrastructure or reconnaissance. The ship’s architecture is built on open systems, enabling integration of new technologies, including artificial intelligence for processing large volumes of data and supporting decision-making.

With the introduction of D João II, Portugal will join a select group of countries building vessels exclusively for unmanned systems, alongside China, Iran, and Turkey.

By Khagan Isayev