European Defense Tech

Fostering Defense Innovation for European Sovereignty

[Alexander Kamyshin @AKamyshin]

Rheinmetall says our #LEGODrones are #MadeByHousewives in their kitchens. Fine. Meanwhile our #LEGODrones already burned more than 11 thousands of russian tanks. @RheinmetallAG

[European Defense Tech @Eurodefensetech]

@spectriumX @benjaminwolba here you go: https://t.co/b3bTRH7m0G

[European Defense Tech @Eurodefensetech]

The European Defense Tech Hackathon is coming to Tallinn, Estonia 🇪🇪

Last September, we held our Defense Hack Day during the Estonian Defence Week, running our shortest ever hackathon in just six hours

Now, we’re excited to be back—bigger, bolder, and ready to tackle the most urgent security challenges of our time —by running a full-fledged 48-hour hackathon this February 2026!

Hosted alongside Tehnopol, the Baltic’s largest science and business hub, we will unite top engineers, founders, and military experts to develop solutions for the threats of today, right on NATO’s Eastern Flank

📅 February 27–March 1, 2025
📍 Tallinn, Estonia

Joining us are @inflection_fund, Pilotix, and DroneAid Collective—and you can as well by signing up on Luma

Let’s build what matters 🚀

[European Defense Tech @Eurodefensetech]

Startups are emerging from EDTH Hackathons 🚀

[Atoms Not Bits @AtomsNotBits]

Daily Hard Tech Headlines:

- @allencontrol has partnered with @RedCatHoldings to evaluate integration of its Bullfrog autonomous C-UAS system with Red Cat platforms, with the first deployment planned on Blue Ops uncrewed surface vessels.

- HORNBECK OFFSHORE has secured a $291.8 million contract with the U.S. Navy to manage and service submarine escort vessels.

- @GeneralAtomics is investing $25 million to expand automated machining and production capacity at its Electromagnetic Systems facility in Mississippi to support next-generation missile and artillery programs.

- Sonardyne International Ltd has launched a subsea asset integrity monitoring system enabling continuous monitoring for offshore energy infrastructure.

- @ArgusRobotics has launched. The Nigerian startup developed a 3D-printed ISR UAV for critical infrastructure protection and showcased its first prototype at the @Eurodefensetech hackathon.

- @AntaresNuclear, the LA-based nuclear startup, has delivered its pilot reactor vessel, the core pressure structure of its system, to Idaho National Laboratory’s National Reactor Innovation Center

- Grey Raven Technologies, a Latvia-based defense tech startup, advanced its reusable UAV training munition concept at the @Eurodefensetech Hackathon, designed to enable cost-effective, repeatable operator training.

- @Redwire has launched a low-mass solar array designed to support high-volume satellite production and reduce launch mass.

- @AaloAtomics has started fabrication of nuclear fuel pins for its Aalo-X critical assembly reactor, a key milestone toward reactor testing.

- @CoreWeave is targeting 5GW of new data center capacity online by 2030.

- @be_inaudible has launched a new smart device designed to thwart unwanted audio recordings.

- @Overland_AI_X has deployed several ULTRA autonomous ground vehicles to Fort Polk for a month-long training rotation with the 3rd Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division to support testing of autonomous maneuver capabilities.

[Dimko Zhluktenko 🇺🇦⚔️ @dim0kq]

Ukraine did a great job reverse engineering Russian Shahed / Geran drones. You can literally go on the website and see component breakdown - made in Texas, Germany, Switzerland.

Very relevant for Iran warfare.

I suggest you check it out. Share it.
https://t.co/JgQmFoHO7o

[Dimko Zhluktenko 🇺🇦⚔️ @dim0kq]

Ukraine did a great job reverse engineering Russian Shahed / Geran drones. You can literally go on the website and see component breakdown - made in Texas, Germany, Switzerland...

I suggest you check it out. Very interesting. https://t.co/JgQmFoHghQ

[European Defense Tech @Eurodefensetech]

Learn more: https://t.co/wXoZ7LSdJX

[European Defense Tech @Eurodefensetech]

We’re just €4,000 away from reaching our €35,000 goal for the fundraiser we’re running together with HELP99 @69thSB and Resilience Media 🚀

That number matters — because it rebuilds the R&D lab of the 3rd Assault Brigade

But the real impact goes far beyond a number!

This lab is where teams prototype, break things, fix them, and test again — building systems that protect the skies and save lives under real conditions.

Many of you already know Oleksandr from the Third Assault Brigade

Last September, he traveled all the way from Ukraine to London to mentor at our hackathon. He spent the entire weekend giving direct, honest feedback — challenging assumptions and pushing teams beyond slides and demos toward what actually works when it matters most.

He showed up for our community.
Now it’s our turn to show up for him!

This is a moment where your contribution makes a real difference — directly expanding what they can test, deploy, and use to protect the skies.

As long as the campaign runs, €100 contributions come with a limited Ukrainian-made #NAFO patch, created by the unit itself.

Stand with Oleksandr. Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦

[European Defense Tech @Eurodefensetech]

Learn more: https://t.co/ewv9tZgKyy

[European Defense Tech @Eurodefensetech]

Learn more: https://t.co/V5fhnFn5yR

[European Defense Tech @Eurodefensetech]

We're launching Sovereign Systems together with Deep Tech Momentum 🚀

Every two weeks, we're tracking the bold ideas, industrial shifts, and cutting-edge technologies shaping Europe’s sovereignty in defense and space

Here’s a glimpse of this week’s edition:

🔹 Top 5 Defense Events for Q1 2026
From the European Defence Agency Annual Conference, Munich Security Conference, SPARTA, our European Defense Tech Hackathon in Munich, and Enforce Tac—these are the must-attend events in Q1

🔹 Space-Based ISR Architectures
A deep dive into how SAR, RF, and optical constellations in LEO are converging into multi-int systems that automate the sensor-to-shooter loop

🔹 Alumni Spotlights
Zero Industries is enabling drones to navigate when GPS goes dark. Skynopy is hardening France’s space-ground segment with SkyFortress, ensuring resilient command and control in contested environments.

If you’re building, backing, or shaping the future of European defence and space, this newsletter is for you — subscribe to Sovereign Systems👇

Huge thanks to Paolo Trecate from our team, as well as Rita de Almeida Russo, Charles Andreo, Martin Schilling, and the entire Deep Tech Momentum team for getting this joint project off the ground

[European Defense Tech @Eurodefensetech]

Full list of innovators and their solutions: https://t.co/kS1ZZqA9Zn

[European Defense Tech @Eurodefensetech]

The wait is over — the new NATO DIANA 2026 Cohort just been announced here, and three alumni from our hackathons made it in 🥳

👉 GutSee Health (Warsaw April 2025) — Precision phage therapy to treat battlefield infections

👉 Aereus (Munich Feb 2025) — AI-powered multimodal data engine for scene intelligence

👉 AegisX (Munich Feb 2025, Amsterdam March 2025, Copenhagen Aug 2025) — Next-generation, single-operator drone-detection radar for low-flying fibre-optic drones

Plus, it's amazing to see several of our EDTH partners join the cohort:

• Beechat Network Systems @BeechatNetwork
• Vidoc Security Lab @vidocsecurity
• Delian Alliance Industries @delian_ai
• C2Grid

The momentum around defense innovation in Europe and across the Alliance keeps accelerating — way to go for this cohort 🚀

[European Defense Tech @Eurodefensetech]

Learn more about future events for 2026: https://t.co/7gDL7mDtte

[European Defense Tech @Eurodefensetech]

Our final European Defense Tech Hackathon for this year is a wrap 💥

Co-organized with Polski Fundusz Rozwoju S.A. (@Grupa_PFR) and held under the patronage of the Minister of National Defence of Poland @Poland_MOD, we gathered 130+ participants across 22 teams over the weekend

Three teams rose to the top:

1st place – Last Mile: A handheld device for soldiers to carry information into the last mile before the frontline by Fabio Keller

2nd place – Postup Solutions: An autonomous system to detect, target, and neutralize fiber-optic and other FPV drones by Vlad Kozak, Rafal Tomczak, Igor Dziubek, Alan Sierakowski, and Michał Krzywański

3rd place – OhBuoy: Acoustic drone detection at sea against drones launched by the russian shadow fleet by Peter Schüllermann, Salih Alperen, David Black, Rylan Hillman, Shawn Taylor

Special Awards by our partners:

Bifrost Defence Award – Boaty: Underwater critical infrastructure protection by Francisco Garrido and Pawel Petruch

17Tech Award – Cable Claw: Capture and destroy fiber-optic drone cables by Elias Goldbach, Pavel Cernenco, Mathieu Moalic, and Arthur Hurnell

Azov Award – Rattlesnake: An ultra-low-cost active drone-defense system using autonomous detection, targeting, and a pneumatic turret to neutralize FPV drones by Mateusz Dyrda and Dominik Marszk

We're very grateful to our key partner Nordic Air Defence @NADindustries, our host @EYnews, our hackathon partner @getswarmer, and Expeditions, @OrbotixTech, 17Tech, DroneAid Collective, Pilotix, and @inflection_fund

This hackathon was one of our strongest yet—not only did teams make tremendous progress in just 48 hours, building fully functional demos and prototypes, but we also saw real-world impact from previous events.

Several teams from our April hackathon continued their work, returning with mature prototypes that are already making waves.

Many thanks to the individuals who made this possible: Weronika Mystek, Paweł Huras, Zbigniew Liptak, Matteo Bertani, Konrad Sobczak, Aleksandra Pawłowicz, Sylwia Majek, Anna Reiwer, Andrzej Rościszewski, Sebastian Straube, Olya Bezverkha, Serhii Kupriienko, Mykyta Puz and many others!

Can’t wait for more hackathons next year 🤗

Stay tuned and continue building!

[European Defense Tech @Eurodefensetech]

Learn more: https://t.co/i0deU3n3zz

[European Defense Tech @Eurodefensetech]

A new generation of founders has entered defense since ruzzia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine—that move fast and rethink what’s possible

We're thrilled to support this year’s Working with Defence & Security Report, bringing together real stories from early and growth-stage teams across the UK, Europe, the Nordics, the Balkans, and the US

What’s working? Where do founders get stuck? And how do procurement, adoption, and early traction actually play out on the ground?

Add this to your holiday reading list to find out 🤓

Kudos to Nicola Sinclair, Roland Ulfstedt, and Ben for putting this together!

[European Defense Tech @Eurodefensetech]

Learn more about our next hackathon in February 2026: https://t.co/Kpq0hSVwJi

[European Defense Tech @Eurodefensetech]

“To win this war, everybody has to sit down and think: What can I do?”

In October, we hosted Europe’s biggest Defense Tech Hackathon together with TUM Venture Labs for the 4th time in Munich 💥

Over 300 participants worked across 56 projects, with a special focus on counter-drone solutions to protect our airspace, from detection to classification and interception.

A huge thank you to our key partner @HelsingAI, our hackathon partner Lateration, and everyone else, including TYTAN Technologies, Pilotix, IABG, Autonomous Teaming, Bifrost Defence, SE3 Labs, and the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense @DefenceU for supporting us and making this possible!

Special thanks go to TUM Venture Labs for hosting us — especially Connor Rehn, Florian Doetzer, Antoine Leboyer — and to German Stelmakh 🇺🇦 & Artem Melnychuk (DroneAid Collective), Jonatan H. Luther-Bergquist @mountbranch (EDTH/@inflection_fund), Paolo Trecate & @AkimKarpach9 (EDTH) for co-organizing.

Excited to be back in Munich in February for one of our most important hackathons next year, in parallel to the Munich Security Conference @MunSecConf!

Video credit: @AkimKarpach9

[European Defense Tech @Eurodefensetech]

Learn more: https://t.co/wXoZ7LSdJX

[European Defense Tech @Eurodefensetech]

You met him at our European Defense Tech Hackathon in London this September — now it’s our chance to support him and his unit 🦾

Oleksandr, an active Ukrainian soldier in the Air Defense Division of the 3rd Assault Brigade, spent the weekend at our hackathon mentoring hackers, sharing frontline insights, and pushing everyone to aim higher.

A ruzzian missile strike destroyed his unit’s R&D facility, wiping out the place where they prototype, iterate, and build the means to protect the skies

Now it's our time to support Oleksandr and his unit!

Together with HELP99 @69thSB and Resilience Media, we're rallying with an initial goal of €35,000 to rebuild and accelerate their work — and aiming higher if the community steps in 🚀

Contributions of €100 come with a limited Ukrainian-made hashtag#NAFO patch created by the unit.

If you want to back someone who showed up for our community and is building tech that directly protects lives, now’s the moment.

Stand with Oleksandr. Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦