Eight dual-use innovators from the NATO DIANA 2026 programme presented their technologies to defence leaders, industry and investors at a UK Demo Day hosted at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, underlining the pace at which allied innovation is being pushed toward operational adoption.
Janus Allies, the UK Accelerator for NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) and appointed Delivery Partner on behalf of UK Defence Innovation (UKDI), used the event to showcase how the 2026 UK cohort’s technologies are strengthening allied capability in contested electromagnetic environments. Over six months, the companies have worked alongside end users, defence and commercial mentors, and delivery partners to refine their technologies against UK and allied operational priorities, with the Demo Day bringing senior figures from across the UK ecosystem together to explore pathways toward adoption.
Major General Peter Rowell MBE, Chief Executive and Commandant of the Defence Academy of the UK, framed the challenge as one of leadership rather than invention. “Conflict is evolving at pace, and our adversaries are already adapting and fielding capabilities in real time,” he said. “The challenge for the UK and the NATO Alliance is not a shortage of innovation, but our ability to turn ideas into action.” Ryan Benitez, Chief Commercial Officer at NATO DIANA, echoed that sense of urgency, pointing to the organisation’s Rapid Adoption Service as the mechanism designed to close the gap between promising technology and fielded capability. “Technology moves at pace, but defence adoption has, historically, taken years,” he said. “NATO DIANA exists to close that gap.”
The 2026 UK cohort’s focus, contested electromagnetic environments, reflects how central the invisible spectrum of signals, satellite links and communications has become to modern operations, and how actively adversaries are working to disrupt it. The eight companies demonstrating at the event spanned electronic warfare, resilient communications and advanced positioning: AMA Defence (Estonia) presented protective nanocoatings for autonomous systems; CX2 (United States) showed an airborne electronic warfare platform with RF sensing and seeker payload; FOSSA Systems (Spain) demonstrated nanosatellite-enabled low-power communications; Oledcomm (France) offered LiFi-based, low-observable drone-to-vehicle connectivity; SDQ Solutions Canada delivered real-time RF threat detection and quantum-resistant GNSS anti-spoofing; Slipstream Design (United Kingdom) presented wideband radar processing with adaptive RF control; Tern AI (United States) trialled GPS-independent positioning; and Testnor (Norway) provided GNSS-denied testing environments for validating systems under degraded conditions.
Tanya Suarez, Founder and CEO of IoT Tribe and Lead Partner of the Janus Allies consortium, stressed that the value lies less in any single contract win than in the network effect. “It’s about creating a network of technology leaders that are constantly iterating and adapting to address new challenges,” she said, adding that with the right strategic backing from UK and NATO stakeholders, the cohort’s impact would be felt at the forefront of collective security.
Beyond the eight companies on stage, a further 21 UK-based firms are participating in the wider NATO DIANA 2026 programme across themes including advanced communications, autonomy, data analysis, critical infrastructure, energy systems, human resilience and space operations, illustrating the breadth of the UK’s contribution to allied innovation. James Gavin, Deputy Director of UK Defence Innovation, noted that the technologies that will define the next decade of defence “are already out there, in a lab, a startup, a university,” and that the work now is building the environment that lets innovators turn promising ideas into something operators can rely on.
For the UK defence supply chain, DIANA’s Rapid Adoption Service points to a faster, less encumbered route from lab to contract than SMEs and dual-use innovators have historically faced. With 29 UK companies now moving through the 2026 programme across a wide spread of technology areas, the pipeline into allied procurement is broadening well beyond traditional prime-led supply routes, and firms with relevant capability should see this as a live signal to engage early rather than wait for formal tender.
Businesses with relevant capabilities should monitor the following areas as the DIANA 2026 cohort moves into its next phase:
- Electronic warfare and RF sensing systems
- Satellite communications and nanosatellite-enabled connectivity
- GNSS-denied and anti-spoofing positioning, navigation and timing
- Low-observable and secure drone-to-vehicle communications
- Autonomous systems durability and protective materials
- Radar processing, beamforming and adaptive RF control
- Test and validation environments for degraded and contested conditions
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Post written by: Vicky Maggiani
Vicky has worked in media for over 25 years and has a wealth of experience in editing and creating copy for a variety of sectors.
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