Latvia’s new defence grant round closes on 18 September
The ministry has announced €2.4 million for military and dual-use development, with separate ceilings for individual companies and consortia.
Reporting & analysis
The latest from BDI.
Follow the buying decisions, emerging technology and commercial routes that matter to your defense business.
Reporting ordered by the documented event or announcement date. Publication dates remain on each article.
115 articles
Sonardyne’s Endurance work shows how seabed monitoring becomes a service business
NEP’s September construction update puts Sonardyne’s monitoring work in a live infrastructure programme. Earlier buyer and supplier records show the baseline service and its later seismic extension.
UK opens counter-drone development competition with up to £5m available
Outline proposals are due on 23 September. The funded output is an evidence-backed development plan, with a separate registration step and an invited second stage before any award.
DEFINE’s fifth cohort gives suppliers a current map of emerging Finnish partners
The September cohort is already under way. Its public profiles are useful for partner research, while future application access must be checked separately.
GAO finds commercial space-data adoption depends on access and awareness
A 27 August audit identifies a gap between government purchases and confident use, with licensing concerns and limited awareness of an existing coordination group.
Kraken reports a long-term subsea battery supply agreement for an unnamed UUV maker
The August agreement adds an unnamed vehicle manufacturer to Kraken’s battery customer base. Its factory expansion provides context, while purchase volumes and contract value remain undisclosed.
Rheinmetall plans Kassel logistics centre for the end of 2027
Hesse’s account separates the €260 million-plus company investment across factory expansion, logistics and training, and drone testing. The planned logistics centre is one part of that broader industrial programme.
Malloy T-150B reaches another Royal Navy ship: read the acceptance trail
Flights from HMS Trent extend Malloy’s naval adoption record after the 2025 service decision. The buyer’s account highlights training, ship integration and the surrounding industrial relationships.
Babcock and Danske Flådeskibe advance a proposed industrial model for Danish frigates
The Danish frigate partnership now sits alongside named agreements with local technology suppliers. The emerging relationship map is useful before the customer settles a construction contract.
Thales and Systematic pair system integration with Danish software capability
The August partnership identifies complementary industrial roles in Denmark, without disclosing a new contract value.
Babcock's Polish programme update links knowledge transfer to a shipbuilding milestone
The first Miecznik ship has reached a construction milestone, while Poland plans service entry in 2029. The interval reveals why knowledge transfer must support integration, acceptance and future maintenance as well as the build.
NEC's August research award makes data partnerships part of the development plan
NEC reports a Japanese defense research contract for an underwater-acoustics model, with public-private data collection and a fiscal 2027 development objective.
NRO moves commercial RF buying into an operational augmentation contract
The August award follows a three-phase study begun in 2022; NRO describes a more flexible purchasing vehicle, while the initial value and duration remain undisclosed.
BlackSky reports pilot conversion into a multiyear subscription agreement
The August announcement describes a customer expanding from a pilot to combined subscription services, with identity and exact value undisclosed.
SSC’s Copernicus extension shows the service business behind satellite data
ESA’s expanded SSC agreement combines a service extension to March 2028 with additional satellite passes and commissioning work. The dates reveal how a ground-network contract adapts as an established programme’s needs change.
NRO’s August radar awards connect earlier studies to operational buying
Three radar suppliers have moved from a study programme begun in 2022 into NRO operational contracts. Umbra discloses a one-year base period; the buyer has not published the awards’ values.
HENSOLDT’s growing order book puts the commercial focus on delivery capacity
July 2026 results show orders growing faster than revenue. Suppliers should look for a specific contribution to execution rather than treating the backlog as available spending.
Thales and Exail sign offer agreement with a transaction timetable extending into 2027
Thales has since issued €1 billion of bonds for the planned acquisition. Financing progress adds a milestone, while the stake purchase and subsequent tender offer remain subject to the announced transaction sequence.