Posts Tagged ‘defence’
Estonian Defence Forces and Archangel VC sign defence technology partnership
NestAI expands to Latvia to advance defence AI on NATO’s Eastern Flank
NestAI, a European AI lab for defence, is opening an R&D centre in Latvia to build defence AI capability alongside the forces and industry operating on NATO’s Eastern Flank. The centre is the next step in NestAI’s growing Nordic and Baltic presence, following the company’s expansion to Sweden announced in August.
As NestAI builds its presence in Latvia, the company is developing the center into a team of 30 scientists and engineers, and has set an investment target of €10 million for the centre over the next few years. The announcement coincides with NestAI’s participation in the Riga Conference on 11 September 2026, where Peter Sarlin, NestAI Founder and Executive Chairman, will meet with Latvian government and academic representatives and speak on European defence AI.
“NestAI’s decision to establish an R&D centre in Latvia is a strategic investment in a sector with significant growth potential. The planned €10 million investment and 30 new jobs for scientists and engineers will bring together knowledge, technology and international cooperation in Latvia. Attracting projects of this kind demonstrates our ability to compete at European level for high-value-added investment,” says Minister of Economics Viktors Valainis.
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Originally published on 21 Sep
Read MoreSaab is digitalizing Stockholm-Västerås Airport with remote air traffic control services
Saab has been entrusted to install and operate remote air traffic control for Stockholm-Västerås Airport for a period of 15 years. This means that air traffic in Västerås will be controlled from Saab’s Remote Tower Center (RTC) in Sundsvall.
This solution is already in operational use at several airports and is part of the ongoing technological development within the aviation industry, both in Sweden and globally. For Saab, the airport in Västerås will be the fifth airport to be operated from the RTC in Sundsvall to utilize this technology, in addition to Sundsvall-Timrå, Sälen, Örnsköldsvik and Linköping. The agreement comes into effect on January 1, 2028, and runs for 15 years. Saab will deliver a fully digitalized infrastructure to Stockholm-Västerås Airport, including the camera tower, a digital workstation for remote air traffic control, and meteorological services.
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Originally published on 21 Sep
Read MoreDoD Solution and Defsecintel partner on integrated counter-drone systems
Estonian defence technology company Defsecintel and Estonian-Ukrainian company DoD Solution are combining their systems to develop integrated counter-drone capabilities for defence, border security and critical-infrastructure protection.
The companies announced the cooperation at MSPO 2026 in Poland. In its press release, DoD Solution said the work will combine Defsecintel’s EIRSHIELD counter-UAS platform with DoD Solution’s AURA AI autonomy platform.
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Originally published on 19 Sep
Read MoreRSI Europe to invest up to €50M in strengthening Lithuania’s defence industry
Minister of Economy and Innovation Edvinas Grikšas has signed a large-scale investment project agreement with Lithuanian defence technology company RSI Europe. The company plans to invest up to €50 million in Panevėžys district, where it will expand its capacity to develop and manufacture advanced defence systems.
“The strength of Lithuania’s defence industry lies in local companies that are able to develop advanced technologies and expand their production here in Lithuania. RSI Europe’s project in Panevėžys district is expected to create up to 40 new jobs, around 35% of which will be for highly skilled engineering and technical specialists. These are concrete opportunities for people to take up qualified work beyond the largest cities and contribute to the growth of the country’s defence industry. Projects like this strengthen our economy and security, while also contributing to our goal of attracting at least 30% of new investments to the regions by 2030,” Edvinas Grikšas, Minister of Economy and Innovation.
RSI Europe is a Lithuanian defence technology company founded in 2022 that develops and manufactures products for national defence applications, which are currently supplied to Ukraine and NATO allies.
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Originally published on 17 Sep
Read MoreLocked Shields, wargaming and pitch feedback shaped the fourth NATO DIANA onsite in Tallinn
The NATO DIANA Estonian Accelerator teams returned to Tallinn for their fourth onsite, bringing 12 dual-use and defence companies into four days of workshops, field visits, scenario-based wargaming, pitch practice and direct ecosystem feedback.
The onsite focused on what happens after a strong technical demo: financial planning, defence sales, operational context, testing options, clearer pitch decks and sharper conversations with potential customers and partners.
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Originally published on 30 Apr
Read MoreOver €700M awarded from European Defence Fund to projects involving Estonia
Estonia’s reputation as a European DefenceTech hub is proven by striking numbers. The country has secured a significant share of the European Union’s latest defence research investment, with 26 international projects involving Estonian companies or institutions awarded funding under the 2025 round of the European Defence Fund (EDF).
The European Commission is investing €1.07 billion across 57 projects in this cycle, and Estonia’s slice is nothing to scoff at: the combined value of work packages held by Estonian firms exceeds €28M, while the total EU grants flowing to projects with Estonian involvement surpasses €700M, reports the Ministy of Defence — projects that span drones, autonomy, cyber defence and space.
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Originally published on 27 Apr
Read MoreARCA Baltics Operations to Build €300 Million Ammunition Factory in North Kiviõli
In the North Kiviõli defence industry park in Estonia, ARCA Baltics Operations will begin producing 155 mm artillery ammunition. The total investment amounts to approximately €300 million, and the completed ammunition factory is expected to create up to 1,000 jobs in the region, with production planned to start in 2028.
“With the establishment of large-calibre ammunition production, Estonia is taking an important step in developing its defence capabilities and ammunition industry. ARCA is a rapidly expanding defence company that has in recent years developed a significant ammunition production hub in Turkey. ARCA Baltics Operations, established in Estonia, will build a factory in North Kiviõli where the primary focus will be on producing large-calibre 155 mm ammunition, including extended-range variants. Under the agreement, the Estonian state will also have the option to procure ammunition from this major producer if needed. In addition, the agreement signed today brings an investment of hundreds of millions of euros into the Estonian economy and creates hundreds of new jobs,” said Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur.
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Originally published on 21 Apr
Read MoreTotal defence Nordic countries prep for the next crisis
When they meet in Oslo tomorrow, the 87 delegates to the Nordic Council, a gathering of legislators from the region, will be asking each other if they are ready for the next crisis.
Strictly speaking, issues like foreign affairs, defence and security are not within the remit of the Nordic Council. The fact that its semi-annual session will again have the issue on its agenda anyway reflects two things: one, the pressing nature of the matter, and, two, the region’s growing reliance on a strategy known as “total defence”.
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Since the start of Moscow’s unprovoked war against Ukraine, the Nordic and Baltic countries, fearing they are next, have been pumping a lot of money into their militaries, with Denmark’s prime minister going so far as to order the country’s generals to go on a shopping spree.
Total defence makes that spending go a little further by giving the private sector and ordinary civilians a role to play during times of crisis—at a minimum, by making sure they can take care of themselves, so that the public sector and the military can concentrate on the most immediate threats. The thinking is that involving populations in emergency preparedness means they know what to do in the event something happens, and, not least, how to get themselves ready for it. Call it prepping, Nordic style.
FURTHER READING
} Nordic-Baltic Total Defence: Easier Said Than Done (Heinrich Böll Stiftung)
} Lithuanian opposition presents alternative defence plan, calling for total defence concept (LRT)
} Strengthening civil preparedness in the Baltic Sea Region (Diis)
} Focus on preparedness and total defence when Presidium of the Nordic Council met in Iceland (Nordic Council)
} “Finns understand that everyone has a role to play” (Helsinki Security Forum)
} Nordic Council Theme Session 2026 (Nordic Council)
} Total defence (Government offices of Sweden)
} A new era for Nordic security and preparedness (Nordic Council)
Estonia to Procure Additional HIMARS Launchers and Ammunition
The Estonian Centre for Defence Investments (ECDI) and US defence company Lockheed Martin have signed a contract for the procurement of three additional HIMARS multiple rocket systems. The agreement also includes an investment of approximately USD 11 million into Estonia’s defence industry.
“Additional HIMARS systems will ensure the deep-strike capability required by the Estonian Defence Forces and NATO, significantly strengthening both our national defence capability and deterrence. Expanding cooperation with Lockheed Martin will also directly support the development of Estonia’s defence industry,” said Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur.
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Originally published on 11 Apr
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