European defence tech outlook 2026

Geopolitical shifts and technological progress are driving growth and change across the European defence tech sector, bringing both new opportunities and significant operational, regulatory, and ethical challenges. In our opening session, our panel of experts will examine the industry's direction in 2026.

We will cover:

• emerging market trends and key geopolitical drivers 
• sovereign capability and strategic autonomy, with a focus on domestic defence industrial base support 
• technology modernisation in defence 
• budget trajectories and evolving capability priorities 
• key hurdles in different jurisdictions, including developments across the Baltic region and current investment trends 
• intellectual property restrictions in Ukraine and how these may open opportunities for external investment. 

This session sets the big-picture context for leaders in defence tech companies, large primes, investors and advisors looking to navigate the industry in Europe.