Speaker Bio

Dr. João Caetano joined the Portuguese Air Force Academy at 18. He served at the Portuguese Air Force for 20 years. He holds a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from Delft University of Technology. His career focused on research and operations of Unmanned Aircraft Systems at the Portuguese Air Force Research Center, where he was also an assistant professor. He was head of UAS operations for the Portuguese Air Force, and UAS Remote Pilot instructor. As a NATO appointee, he oversaw UAS research and chaired the Strategic Committee of the Applied Vehicle Technologies Panel at NATO’s Science and Technology Organization. Currently, he is honored and humbled to serve the EU Members States at the European Defence Agency as a Project Officer on UAS Programmes, supporting defence research, technology development, and the integration of UAS in airspace. He supports EDA’s roles, while supporting the development of defence capabilities and military cooperation among the Member States in the UAS domain.