WIREDGOV

Open software architecture for autonomous systems will not only support interoperability but also increase industrial resilience and encourage innovation.

Over the past four years, Europe’s – and more broadly the West's –defence industrial landscape has changed significantly. Established defence companies have expanded production capacity to meet demand from Ukraine and Western militaries, while also investing in emerging technologies and new ventures. The most striking change, however, has been the arrival of a new generation of defence companies. Businesses that did not exist a few years ago are now well known across the sector.

Ukraine's need for affordable, rapidly deployable capability has accelerated the use of lower-cost uncrewed systems for both intelligence collection and strike missions. It is therefore unsurprising that many of the more than 230 defence start-ups founded since 2022 have focused on developing drones (broadly defined) and the digital systems that enable them. Many of these companies supply products or components to Ukraine while continuing to invest in R&D of more complex systems that can combine large numbers of systems into so-called swarms – which have significant potential for combat effectiveness – for which they now await larger procurement opportunities across Europe.

As this ecosystem has developed, competing visions have emerged for how autonomous systems or swarms should be controlled and integrated. One approach tightly integrates hardware and software into a closed ecosystem. Another separates the software architecture from the hardware, allowing platforms and sensors from multiple manufacturers to operate together. As European governments, including the UK, move towards larger procurement programmes of these systems, this architectural choice could have long-lasting consequences. Which factors will guide this choice?

Click here for the full press release