Portuguese textile industry ‘dresses’ defence sector - Portuguese textile industry ‘dresses’ defence sector: ballistic vests and invisible camouflage.

The Portuguese textile industry is looking to the defence sector as a business opportunity and already has several projects underway. Find out what they are.

Ballistic vest technology, invisible military camouflage, nuclear protection suits and smart textiles capable of increasing soldiers’ safety, well-being and performance. These are some of the projects that Portuguese industry is developing for the defence sector, three of which are financed by the European Defence Fund (EDF) to the tune of €44.78 million. “The timing for Portugal to position itself in the defence sector is now”, argues Braz Costa, from the Portuguese Textile and Clothing Industry Technology Centre (Citeve).

Citeve is involved in several projects for the development and industrialisation of solutions for the defence sector with a strong textile component, ranging from uniforms, ballistic solutions and adaptive camouflage to advanced textile materials for use in drones, combat vehicles and aircraft, among others. Some of these projects are financed by the EDF, a fund that, until 2027, has around €8 billion to invest in various areas related to the European defence sector.

“These are highly technical and technological products, with much greater added value than fashion”, said the director of Citeve in statements to ECO/eRadar. Braz Costa has no doubt that this “is an opportunity for the textile industry’ and assures that ‘they do not want to let this opportunity slip away”.

One such project is Adaptive Camouflage For Soldiers and Vehicles (ACROSS), with a total budget of around €14.9 million funded by the EDF. ACROSS draws on the expertise of military forces, industry, universities and R&D centres, coordinated by Portugal through Citeve.

“We are talking about visual camouflage, but also camouflage from radars, infrared detectors and other radiation. It is camouflage in the full sense of the word. Not being seen by people or machines. The idea is to camouflage people, increase soldier safety on the battlefield with more effective systems, but also apply the system to vehicles, drones, among others”, explains António Braz Costa, director-general of the technology centre.

Finally, Citeve and the Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering (INEGI) are involved in ARMETISS. With a budget of €22 million — €19.88 million of which is financed by the EDF — the project, which involves 20 partners from eight countries, brings together key players in military equipment, smart textiles and sensor systems. The consortium aims to create smart textiles that incorporate advanced technologies for location, body thermoregulation, physiological monitoring, and integrated energy conversion and distribution.