01/Industry focus
Work is under way in each. Move over a system to take it apart.
01
Sensors are multiplying faster than the people who can read them. The European Defence Agency lists data processing among the four roles its members cannot fill.
Track while scanning
Antenna test chamber
02
NATO allies are putting more than 40 billion dollars into counter-drone capability over five years. The target is five times as many operators by 2027.
Holds an area without risking a crew
RQ-7 Shadow launch, US Army
03
Sweden is building its next combat air capability around crewed and uncrewed aircraft flying together. Saab showed a full-scale stealth wingman for Gripen in August 2026, aimed at the mid-2030s.
Four line replaceable units
JAS 39 Gripen, Czech Air Force
04
Sweden ordered 44 new Leopard 2A8s and is renovating about 500 CV90s by 2030. Active protection and the sensor fit now decide as much as the armour.
Hull under turret under mast
Leopard 2, Grafenwöhr
05
Sweden is raising conscript intake to at least 10,000 a year by 2030. All of them have to be equipped, and NATO already reports soldier loads at record highs.
Five items on one neck
AN/PVS-31 night vision device
06
Jamming over the Baltic is now routine. Eurocontrol logged more than 2,500 events over Europe in 2024, and every other capability depends on links that survive it.
Mesh before infrastructure
Giraffe AMB operator console
07
More than seven in ten defence roles in Sweden and the Netherlands need vetting before day one. That queue sets the ceiling on how fast the industry can grow.
Four stages before a start date
Multinational exercise, JMRC
What it is worth