Frontex, the European border and coast guard agency, has selected five companies advancing to Phase 2 of its Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) Prize Contest, which Unmanned Airspace reported on earlier this year.
Frontex said that Adevex Soluciones, Dat-Con, Hertz Systems, MBDA France and Nordic Air Defence were selected for their “exceptional technical proposals” submitted in Phase 1. “Their proposals showed technical maturity (minimum TRL 7), alignment with European Border and Coast Guard (EBCG) operational needs, and readiness for deployment in live trials.” Each finalist is awarded EUR 20,000 for their submission.
“Out of all the applications submitted, 10 high-quality technical proposals met the predefined eligibility, exclusion, and admissibility criteria, and underwent a merit-based evaluation by Frontex’s Evaluation Committee,” the agency said on June 30. “All the evaluated proposals possessed significant potential to address the capability gap in neutralising unauthorised UAS threats, such as illicit surveillance and smuggling, thereby enhancing secure and effective EU external border protection.”
In Phase 2, scheduled for October 2025, the top five finalists will compete in live operational trials, lasting three – four weeks, at a designated test site in Europe. These trials will assess the performance, effectiveness, and reliability of their technologies against simulated UAS threats, including off-the-shelf and custom-made UAS. This phase will conclude with a two-day workshop, where finalists will present their solutions to EBCG authorities, EU Member State representatives and other stakeholders.
The winners of Phase 2 will be announced in November 2025, with prizes ranging from EUR 100,000 to EUR 270,000.
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