Defence electronics in 2025: Key developments followed by the Evertiq audience

The following developments were the most widely read defence-related stories on Evertiq, together forming a consistent picture of the technological and industrial megatrends shaping the future of defence in Europe and globally.

A growing role for European EMS

Neways Electronics has strengthened its position as one of the strategic EMS players in the defence sector. The company expanded its defence activities and deepened its long-term cooperation with BAE Systems Hägglunds, formalising a partnership that has already lasted more than 15 years. This is not a one-off contract, but a model in which European EMS companies become an integral part of the lifecycle of military platforms, supporting development, prototyping, serial production and sustainment.

Neways also entered into a frame agreement with Teledyne FLIR, covering electronics for thermal imaging systems used in military vehicles and land platforms. Demand for sensors, optics and real-time imaging is accelerating, and the ability of European EMS providers to quickly scale production has become part of the continent’s industrial resilience.

Readers also closely followed Kitron securing a 100-million-euro order from a customer in the Defence/Aerospace segment, with deliveries scheduled for 2025 and 2026. Large-scale contracts of this type demonstrate that the defence market is moving beyond prototype phases. EMS providers are increasingly delivering mission-critical electronics at full industrial scale, meeting stringent requirements for reliability, traceability and sustainment.

Shortly afterwards, Kitron announced an agreement to acquire Swedish electronics manufacturer DeltaNordic AB. The acquisition expands Kitron’s defence electronics footprint in the Nordic region and reflects a wider consolidation trend within European EMS. Together with long-term programmes and scaling partnerships, acquisitions of this nature indicate that EMS companies are no longer only suppliers, but strategic industrial actors across the defence value chain.

Supply chain transparency and PCB sourcing

Demand for controlled and transparent supply chains extends beyond electronics and into PCB sourcing. The strategic NOK 5.5 million contract secured by Confidee reflects this trend. In the defence sector, cost is only one element. Full traceability, regulatory compliance, quality certification and the ability to audit supply chains are non-negotiable. PCBs are critical components in weapon systems and communications infrastructure and must meet reliability standards equal to sensors or mission computers.

Europe enters the AI defence era

One of the most notable defence-tech investments covered by Evertiq in 2025 was the 600-million-euro funding round raised by Helsing, a company developing AI-driven software for real-time analysis of data from sensors and weapons systems. The scale of the investment shows that European capital increasingly recognises that technological advantage on the battlefield no longer depends solely on hardware, but on the ability to integrate, interpret and act on complex data streams in real time.

The strategic partnership between Helsing and ARX Robotics further reinforces this shift. Both companies leverage operational experience from Ukraine. Their approach is systemic: vehicles, robots, sensors and AI form a shared information environment rather than isolated systems. Decision-making becomes faster, more precise and more adaptive, even in complex land environments.

AI transforms maritime surveillance

Lockheed Martin advanced maritime surveillance with AI-powered SAR target recognition, enabling warfighters to automatically distinguish civilian from combat vessels without manual analysis. At sea, where the density of military, commercial and unmanned platforms is constantly increasing, automation significantly reduces response times and improves situational awareness.

Interoperability in rocket artillery

A widely followed topic was the successful firing test of the GMARS launcher, jointly developed by Rheinmetall and Lockheed Martin. The platform is based on the Rheinmetall HX vehicle family and offers interoperability with existing HIMARS and M270A2 systems. For European armed forces, this means easier logistics, streamlined training and simpler sustainment while expanding their rocket artillery capabilities.

War impacts industrial infrastructure

Two of the most-read articles concerned the Russian missile strike that hit Flex’s electronics factory in Mukachevo, Ukraine. This was not merely a local incident but a reminder that electronic manufacturing infrastructure, even deep in western Ukraine, is a strategic target. Flex later confirmed the damage. For the EMS sector, it was a concrete demonstration that war affects not only front lines but also production capacity, logistics and labour safety.

Industrial transformation in Poland

Readers also closely monitored developments involving the Polish defence industry. PGZ and Raytheon launched the Expert Cable Center in Grudziądz, a state-of-the-art facility producing more than 80 types of cables for the Patriot air and missile defence system. The project strengthens Poland’s role as a supplier of precision components within a global defence chain.

Furthermore, it should also be mentioned that during the MSPO defence exhibition in Kielce, Saab signed two agreements with WB Group and PGZ to explore potential collaboration in a range of defence and security projects. Poland is gaining importance not only as a buyer of military platforms but as a partner in manufacturing, integration and advanced electronics.

Critical materials become geopolitics

A key strategic development was the Memorandum of Understanding between Korea Zinc and Lockheed Martin for germanium supplies and critical minerals cooperation. Germanium is essential to photonics, satellite systems, detection technologies and optoelectronics. Without stable access to critical materials, long-term technological advantage becomes harder to sustain. The defence sector increasingly treats raw materials security as part of national strategy rather than a purely commercial supply problem.

Who leads Europe’s defence build-up?

The article profiling the Top 20 defence companies in Europe sparked major interest because it confirmed that the market is consolidating around producers of land platforms, missile systems, battlefield electronics, sensors, cyber capabilities and secure communications. The ranking was based on a presentation delivered by Ewelina Bednarz, Global Content Manager at Evertiq, during Evertiq Expo in Kraków 2025.

Final observations

All the most-read defence topics on Evertiq lead to a single conclusion: strategic advantage in modern defence is no longer created by individual military platforms alone. It comes from a network of sensors, communications, AI, robotics, resilient PCB sourcing, EMS manufacturing, local industrial capacity and secure supply of critical materials.

Electronics, software and manufacturing are now inseparable from national security. This is why governments invest not only in missiles and armoured vehicles, but in factories, sourcing transparency, industrial collaborations, cyber-secure systems, long-term EMS partnerships and access to critical raw materials.

These were the themes that captured the attention of the Evertiq community in 2025 because they show not just where money is flowing, but where military capability is being built.