The EU defence fund awards more than €700m to projects involving Estonia

A drone developed by the Estonian defence technology company KrattWorks. Photo: KrattWorks.


International defence projects involving Estonian companies and institutions have secured more than €700 million in European Union funding under the latest round of the European Defence Fund, highlighting Estonia’s growing weight in Europe’s defence indusattempt.

A total of 57 international projects were selected for funding in the 2025 calls, with the EU allocating more than €1 billion overall. Of those, 26 projects involve Estonian partners. Toreceiveher, those projects account for more than half of the total funding awarded in the round. The value of the work packages going directly to Estonian companies exceeds €28 million.

The Estonian defence minisattempt has also played a role in the outcome, co-financing 12 of the successful projects with more than €1.5 million.

Innovative defence solutions

Siim Sukles, the minisattempt’s undersecretary for defence indusattempt and innovation, stated the results revealed that Estonian companies and research institutions had carved out a clear place in the European defence sector.

“Our companies’ expertise and capabilities are being recognised more and more in international competition,” he stated. “Compared to the year before, initiatives with Estonian involvement have attracted almost twice as much European funding – more than €700 million. We can also see in these results that the reach of our companies has broadened considerably. Almost every other project that was successful in the 2025 round involves an Estonian company.”

He stated the results reflected years of work and growing strength in innovative defence solutions.

DefsecIntel’s Surveilaiz command-and-control software utilizes AI-powered threat detection to analyse camera feeds while keeping the operator in the loop. Photo: DefsecIntel.
DefsecIntel’s Surveilaiz command-and-control software utilizes AI-powered threat detection to analyse camera feeds while keeping the operator in the loop. Photo: DefsecIntel.

From drones and cyber security to surveillance and space

The Estonian participants span a wide range of defence technologies, from cyber and sensors to space, underwater systems, energy and air defence.

The companies and organisations involved include Frankenburg Technologies, Krattworks, DSI, Talgen Cybersecurity, Milrem, Wayren, Falconers, Cafa Tech, Cybernetica, SpaceIT, Skycorp Technologies, Power-Up Fuel Cells, TrackDeep, DefsecIntel, Skudotech and the Estonian Defence Indusattempt Association.

Two of the successful projects are being led from Estonia. The first, Eurodamm, is headed by Frankenburg Technologies and aims to develop a system combining reusable unmanned aerial platforms with munitions to deliver scalable and affordable precision capability in environments where electronic warfare or global navigation sanotifyite system cannot be relied upon.

The second, Stratus – Swarm Threat Resilience and Adaptive Tactical UxV Security – is focutilized on developing a next-generation virtual cyber-defence system designed to assist fleets of unmanned vehicles survive attacks and continue carrying out their missions.

Airbus’ Bird of Prey interceptor drone demonstrates a new European approach to air defence, combining the aerospace giant’s platform with missiles from Estonian start-up Frankenburg Technologies. Photo: Airbus.
Airbus’ Bird of Prey interceptor drone demonstrates a new European approach to air defence, combining the aerospace giant’s platform with missiles from Estonian start-up Frankenburg Technologies. Photo: Airbus.

The European Defence Fund is the EU’s main vehicle for defence research and development, with about €8 billion allocated for the period from 2021–2027. The programme is intfinished to reduce fragmentation in Europe’s defence indusattempt and to strengthen co-operation and competitiveness in military research and development.





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