Amrop’s Post

When the world shows up to listen, you know an ecosystem is on the rise - Ukraine’s defense tech is stepping onto the global stage. Earlier this month, Alexander Ulanovych, Partner at Amrop Ukraine and a member of our Global Defense Practice, attended the Defense Tech Valley 2025 in Lviv - here's his key insights.

Europe is waking up to a new defence reality. As the global balance of power shifts, and with the US becoming a less reliable security partner, Europe faces a stark choice: take ownership of its defence or risk being unprepared when it matters most. A new report from CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies), commissioned by Charge Research Platform Volt, outlines a roadmap towards a common European defence, and the message is clear: to be secure, Europe needs to move faster, work together, and invest smarter. Here’s the key takeaway: spending more isn’t enough. We need coordination, shared capabilities, and a strong industrial base that isn’t overly reliant on external powers. At Bifrost Defence, we want to contribute towards that goal. We are trying to contribute to building the connective tissue between innovation and real-world capability. Dual-use tech, scalable production, pan-European partnerships, and supporting Ukraine; these aren’t future ambitions, they’re today's priorities. The report suggests that even pooling €150 billion of the planned €800 billion in EU defence investment would be a game-changer. We agree. But the real multiplier is aligning our innovation ecosystem with operational readiness. 🛡️ Strategic autonomy starts with strategic choices. ⚙️ Resilience starts with industrial capacity. 🤝 Security starts with trust—and collaboration. At Bifrost Defence, we’re proud to play our part in shaping a stronger, smarter, more sovereign Europe. Picture from a IRON Cluster test day near Lviv, which we attended. #EuropeanDefence #StrategicAutonomy #DualUse #BifrostDefence #NATO #Innovation #Sovereignty #DefenceTech #Startups #Readiness2030 #ukraine

This week I was very fortunate to attend the Resilience Media conference in London where we heard from a combination of defence tech start-ups, investors, primes, NATO and various government representatives about the role technology plays in a resilient and secure Europe. A few takeaways: *The war in Ukraine is the first examples of a true 'tech' conflict *Rapid innovation is critical as adversaries adapt within 2 months in the field *Much like other industries, software is 'eating' defence - software defined hardware is a major trend *Capital is rapidly forming around new innovations in defence - much of it from the private sector *Europe's industrial base must rapidly increase capacity AND we need to draw on capacity in friendly industrialised nations to meet the threats we face today *Some incredible work is being done by some very inspiring people *Moving to post-quantum encryption isn't optional, it's urgent *Nation state disinformation is persistent and governments are looking to the corporate sector to help combat this threat. It's a long time since i've attended a conference with such a relevant and well thought-through agenda. Congratulations to Resilience Media and i'm particularly pleased to see many of Europe's most talented tech journalists have such a professional and important new home. #Manufacturing #IndustrialAI #EuropeanResilience #AI

Brave–Norway: €20M to Power the Next Wave of Defense Innovation Ukraine and Norway are joining forces to support defense tech startups and scale battlefield-ready innovations. 🔹 €20 million in funding 🔹 Joint grant program 🔹 Drone systems, AI, and dual-use technologies 🔹 First-of-its-kind bilateral tech partnership Brave–Norway will support startups, run hackathons, and create platforms for researchers and innovators from both countries. Projects that succeed in testing may be recommended for large-scale procurement for Ukraine’s Armed Forces. The program is implemented by 🇺🇦 BRAVE1 and 🇳🇴 FFI – Norwegian Defense Research Establishment. 📍 Ukraine is becoming a global hub for defense tech. This is just the beginning. 🔗 Full article on Digital State https://lnkd.in/eT95UH2R

€20 Million for the Development of Ukrainian and Norwegian Defense Technologies — Launch of the Brave–Norway Program We’ve signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Ministry of Defence of Norway — a strategic step toward deepening our partnership in defense innovation. As part of this cooperation, we’re launching the Brave–Norway program. The preliminary budget is €20 million. The program includes: 🔷 Launching a grant scheme to support startups working on UAVs and other defense technologies; 🔷 Hosting joint hackathons to develop practical, game-changing battlefield solutions; 🔷 Creating modern platforms to connect research institutions across both countries. On the Ukrainian side, the program will be implemented by the Brave1 defense tech cluster. €10 million from Norway will be channeled through the Innovation Development Fund to support the creation and testing of new technologies in Ukraine — with the potential for large-scale deployment by the Armed Forces. We thank our Norwegian partners for their trust and commitment to building next-generation defense capabilities together. Mykhailo Fedorov Anastasia Bratko BRAVE1 Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine

🤝✈️ The UK-US Tech Prosperity Deal marked a major shift for the aviation, aerospace and defence sector. From AI, quantum tech and emerging 6G communications to secure cloud infrastructure and military partnerships, this agreement sets the stage for growth and resilience. Our latest article breaks down what the deal means for your business, what actions you should be taking now, and how to prepare for new transatlantic opportunities in trade, innovation and defence collaboration. Find out more 👇 https://gowlg.co/4odaKtq #Aerospace #Defence #Tech #Aviation #UKUSTechDeal #Defence #Tech

The inaugural European Defence Innovation Forum (EDIF) in The Hague on 25 September brought together battlefield-proven Ukrainian innovation with Dutch and European #industry, #investors, and #policymakers. World Forum The Hague buzzed with discussions on co-production, certification, funded pilots, and building resilient European supply chains. Across plenaries and side meetings, more Ukrainian companies and frontline innovators showcased technologies and operational lessons that can accelerate Europe’s #resilience and strategic autonomy. The scale and quality of those exchanges made clear that Ukraine is not just a beneficiary of support but a driver of capability for the whole continent. What stood out most was the spirit of partnership. Investors, SMEs, defence primes, and government officials didn’t just talk—they sketched concrete routes to co-development, joint #manufacturing and long-term industrial ties between the Netherlands, Ukraine and wider Europe. That kind of collaboration will turn wartime innovation into sustainable European industrial strength. We captured a lot of this energy on film—the video we’re sharing with this post brings together the scale, the technology, and the human stories behind EDIF. Watch it to see demonstrations, conversations, and the kind of connections that will seed future projects. If you’re working on defence tech, dual-use innovation, or cross-border industrial partnerships—let's keep the momentum going. Now is the moment to create new partnerships between the Netherlands and Ukraine that deliver capability, jobs, and shared security. We’ll be announcing the date for next year’s EDIF soon—stay tuned! #EDIF2025 was organised by Embassy of Ukraine in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, DeltaQuad, and VN Strategies, with the support of the Ministerie van Defensie and Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) | Partner in Sustainable Development, Netherlands Industries for Defence & Security, ROM-Nederland, Municipality of The Hague, and other key public and private stakeholders. Calibrated proudly served as the information partner. #EDIF2025 #EuropeanSecurity #DefenceInnovation #Ukraine #Netherlands #CoProduction #IndustrialPartnerships #BattlefieldProven #DefenseIndustry #Partnerships

⚠️ The NATO Innovation Fund (NIF) Needs Focus, Not Fudges Klaus Hommels stepping down as NATO Innovation Fund Chair to take on an advisory role is a textbook political maneuver to sidestep governance controversy. It’s a classic “push upstairs” to solve an optics problem, but the real test lies ahead. The NIF, now led by the highly respected Professor Dame Fiona Murray, must use this moment to move beyond political wrangling and talent churn. For European deep tech and defense to truly scale, the €1 billion fund needs: 🇪🇺 Unambiguous Investment Mandates: End the "dual-use" ambiguity and focus ruthlessly on technologies that address immediate and long-term security needs. 🧭 Operational Autonomy: Give the investment team the authority to deploy capital with the speed of a VC, not the bureaucracy of an alliance. This is a critical juncture. The war in Ukraine has shown European defense tech is an urgent capability, not a political novelty. Let's see if this "re-shuffle" delivers the decisive action Europe's security needs. #Fintech #DefenseTech #EuropeanTech #DeepTech #NATOInnovationFund

Technology Prosperity Deal (TPD) In September 2025, Trump visited the United Kingdom for a state visit. Alongside traditional diplomatic events, the two governments unveiled the Technology Prosperity Deal (TPD) — a strategic framework designed to deepen cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, defence innovation, & critical infrastructure investment. The Palantir-MoD deal positions Palantir as the flagship U.S. defence-AI partner in the U.K., embedding American software infrastructure into British command systems. Anduril, although not yet present in the UK deal, remains strategically relevant due to its portfolio & its partnership with Palantir. It is well placed for future entry into the U.K. market, particularly in counter-UAV & autonomous systems, areas of urgent operational need. Together, Palantir & Anduril represent the cutting edge of the “Silicon Valley defense wave” now shaping NATO modernization — but they also highlight questions about sovereignty, ethics, & political influence in defence procurement.

China’s strategy of civil-military fusion requires the United States to adopt a more integrated technology policy, writes Richard Weitz. http://ow.ly/Mlb530sQaNx