Croatia
Croatia has secured €235.7 million in its 2025 budget to fund advance payments for CAESAR Mk2 self-propelled howitzers and Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks, pushing national defense spending above the NATO benchmark and reinforcing ongoing force modernization efforts.
Events
UMEX and SimTEX 2026 will take place in Abu Dhabi from 20–22 January, marking the largest edition yet and showcasing global innovations in unmanned systems, AI, robotics, and simulation technologies.
Poland
Poland has allocated nearly EUR 210 million in 2025 to PGZ companies under the NAREW program, boosting domestic CAMM-ER missile production and air-defense industrial capacity.
Poland
Zakłady Mechaniczne Tarnów have secured PLN 309.6 million (€71m) in state-backed financing to expand production, service, and R&D capacity. The investment strengthens Poland’s domestic defence manufacturing base and supports key air defence programmes, including Pilica+ and Narew.
Italy
Italy has received its first Rheinmetall Skynex air defence system, becoming the first NATO member to field the cannon-based solution designed to counter drones and low-altitude threats, with the initial battery handed over at the Air Defence Artillery Command in Sabaudia.
Poland
Poland has launched construction of a multi-layered anti-drone defence system along its eastern border, integrating electronic warfare, air-defence weapons, and rapid-response logistics hubs to counter drone incursions, sabotage, and hybrid threats linked to Russia and Belarus.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia’s aircraft engine overhaul specialist Orao is entering a new growth phase, expanding international cooperation, targeting the Egyptian market, and strengthening both military and civil aviation projects ahead of 2026.
Kosovo
Kosovo plans to launch local production of the Albanian-designed “Shota” armored vehicle under a trilateral defense cooperation framework with Albania and Croatia, a move officials say would be the first joint armored vehicle program in the Balkans.
Israel
Israel has approved a $100+ billion, decade-long investment to build a fully independent domestic munitions industry, aiming to secure long-term military self-reliance, and shield national defense from external embargoes and political pressure following the war triggered by Hamas’ October 7 attack.
Ukraine
Ukrainian drone-motor manufacturer Aeromotors is scaling in-house production to industrial levels, aiming to cut reliance on Chinese components and support both Ukraine’s defense needs and Europe’s push for supply-chain autonomy.
Romania
Radu Miruță has been sworn in as Romania’s new defense minister, moving from an interim role to permanent leadership as Bucharest seeks continuity in defense reform and military modernization.
Croatia
Innovation is now a strategic responsibility in Europe’s defense industry, as unmanned systems reshape military and civil protection capabilities. Gordan Pesic of DOK-ING says smaller, agile industries can play a decisive role if innovation is treated as a long-term commitment.
