Posts Tagged ‘defence’
Locked 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”.
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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Dual-use infrastructure Sweden and Finland are considering a bridge over the Gulf of Bothnia
As far as building 100km bridges go, spanning the Kvarken, a narrowing of the northern Gulf of Bothnia, would be an easy task. Thanks to relatively shallow water, a generally firm seabed and an archipelago on the Finnish side, the challenge would lie less in getting the thing built than it would with coming up with the billions euros it would cost. (Estimates range from €5bn to €100bn.) For that reason, when the idea has come up in the past, it has been easy for lawmakers in Sweden and in Finland to dismiss it as a costly white elephant that would have little benefit compared with the existing ferry service.
These days, though, the calculus that drives the cost-benefit analyses of such projects has a new variable: security. Where the idea of a better-connected region has long been framed in economic terms, a bridge across the Kvarken is increasingly being discussed as a way for Finns to remain connected to Europe in the event Russian shenanigans render the Finnish-Swedish land border unusable. For now, a Kvarken bridge remains well over the horizon: a report published last year by Finland’s transport ministry reckons that the earliest one could be open for traffic would be the early 2040s. Still, proponents are bullish: the same report found a bridge was technically feasible and laid the foundation for an assessment of its economic benefits. A journey of a hundred kilometres begins with a single report.
FURTHER READING
} Fixed link across the Kvarken discussed in the Swedish Parliament (Kvarkenrådet)
} The €30-billion bid to link Finland to the wider EU (The Parliament)
} Finland wants to build a bridge across the Baltic Sea to Sweden for better connections to Europe (Euronews)
} Huge bridge between Sweden and Finland back on the drawing board (Ingeniøren)
} Kvarken Fixed Connection Feasibility Study (Väylävirasto)
Saab receives order for counter-unmanned aerial system from Sweden
Saab has received an order from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) for a mobile and modular counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS). The system is designed to protect the Swedish Armed Forces as well as civil infrastructure from threats posed by drones. The order value is approximately SEK 2.6 billion and deliveries will take place 2027-2028.
In partnership with the Swedish Armed Forces and FMV, Saab is developing and deploying an advanced C-UAS system that offers proven, adaptable and cost-efficient layered defence against modern drone threats. The system will strengthen and complement Sweden’s current air defence and drone defence posture.
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Originally published on 2 Apr
Read MoreBAE Systems awarded $180m contract for Tridon Mk2 from Sweden
The TRIDON Mk2 is a truck-mounted 40 mm anti-aircraft gun system that addresses a gap in today’s air defense. The system has multi-target capability and can engage a wide range of aerial threats, including drones, cruise missiles and aircraft. Additionally, it can target ground threats such as armored vehicles, providing protection and security for both military forces and civil infrastructure.
“We are more committed than ever to providing our customers with protection from ever-evolving aerial threats,” said Lena Gillström, president of BAE Systems Bofors. “The TRIDON Mk2 has been designed for today’s warfare, and we will continue to deliver cutting-edge solutions to put our customers in the best position to meet future challenges.”
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Originally published on 2 Apr
Read MoreSuccessful first demo flight: Airbus’ uncrewed Bird of Prey interceptor autonomously engages kamikaze drone with Frankenburg missile
The Airbus ‘Bird of Prey’ interceptor drone successfully completed its first demonstration flight at a military training area in northern Germany. In a realistic mission scenario, it autonomously searched, detected and classified a medium-sized one-way attack (kamikaze) drone. After successful identification, the Bird of Prey interceptor engaged the target with a Mark I air-to-air missile developed by defence tech start-up partner Frankenburg Technologies.
“Against the current geopolitical and military backdrop, defending against kamikaze drones is a tactical priority that urgently needs to be tackled,” said Mike Schoellhorn, CEO Airbus Defence and Space. “With our Bird of Prey and Frankenburg’s affordable Mark I missiles, we are providing armed forces with an effective, cost-efficient interceptor, filling a crucial capability gap in today’s asymmetric conflict theatres. The integration of Bird of Prey into Airbus’ air defence battle management suite IBMS acts as a force multiplier.”
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Originally published on 30 Mar
Read MoreDefence sector pre-accelerator invites companies to develop solutions to strengthen Estonia’s defence capabilities
The defence sector pre-accelerator Defence Business Lab is beginning its second year of operation and is inviting companies and teams to apply with technological solutions that support Estonia’s defence capabilities. The programme helps take defence technologies from idea and prototype stage through to testing and international growth opportunities.
The pre-accelerator is aimed at companies developing technologies applicable in the defence sector that need support in understanding the specific characteristics of the defence market, developing and positioning their solution, and preparing for the next stages of growth, including applying to international programmes.
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Originally published on 27 Mar
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