NATO DIANA UK Accelerator
showcases
emerging Defence technologies
Official press release
9 July 2026
Eight dual-use innovators on the NATO DIANA 2026 programme demonstrated cutting-edge capabilities to defence leaders, industry and investors at the UK Demo Day, hosted at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom.
LONDON, 9 JULY 2026 – Janus Allies (Janus), 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), showcased the NATO DIANA 2026 UK cohort’s technologies to strengthen Allied capability in contested electromagnetic environments.
Over six months, these companies have worked alongside end users, defence and commercial mentors and delivery partners to refine their technologies against UK and Allied operational priorities. The UK Demo Day brought together senior representatives from the UK ecosystem to engage directly with these companies and explore pathways towards adoption.
Strategic context: innovation, adoption and capability
The UK Demo Day featured keynote contributions from senior leaders across the defence and innovation community, highlighting the importance of accelerating the development and adoption of relevant technologies.
Major General Peter Rowell MBE, Chief Executive and Commandant of the Defence Academy of the UK, emphasised the importance of leadership, collaboration and integration across government, industry and academia in driving effective adoption of innovation.
“Conflict is evolving at pace, and our adversaries are already adapting and fielding capability in real time. The challenge for the UK and the NATO Alliance is not a shortage of innovation, but our ability to turn ideas into action. That is fundamentally a leadership challenge. Advantage will depend on leaders who can make decisions at speed, build trust across nations and sectors, and integrate new capabilities under pressure. Initiatives like DIANA are absolutely vital – but it is trust, and the strength of our relationships, that will ultimately determine how quickly we move from innovation to operational effect.”
Ryan Benitez, Chief Commercial Officer, NATO DIANA, outlined the role of DIANA in supporting collaboration across the Alliance to accelerate the development and adoption of dual-use technologies through the Rapid Adoption Service (RAS).
“Technology moves at pace, but defence adoption has, historically, taken years. NATO DIANA exists to close that gap. We have a proven ability to meet procurement standards through a highly competitive selection process, and many innovators have secured their first contract as a direct result of this programme. NATO DIANA was purpose-built to accelerate the deployment of promising technologies, and we are now seeing tangible results from this mission.”
Focus of the NATO DIANA 2026 UK cohort: contested electromagnetic environments
The modern battlefield has extended into the invisible domain of the electromagnetic spectrum – where signals, satellite links and communications underpin every modern defence capability. This contested environment now determines operational success, with adversaries actively disrupting and exploiting it.
Tanya Suarez, Founder and CEO of IoT Tribe and Lead Partner of the Janus Allies consortium, said:
“Securing the NATO Alliance against emerging threats, including within Contested Electromagnetic Environments, is not about one company gaining a contract or investor backing; it’s about creating a network of technology leaders that are constantly iterating and adapting to address new challenges. All the companies that completed Phase 1 of the NATO DIANA programme this month are contributing to this mission, and with the right strategic backing from UK and NATO defence stakeholders, their ultimate impact will be felt at the very forefront of our collective security."
At Demo Day, the cohort showcased, presented and demonstrated technologies spanning electronic warfare, resilient communications and advanced positioning – each developed against real operational requirements:
- AMA Defence (Estonia) – Advanced protective nanocoatings designed to enhance durability and survivability of autonomous systems in harsh environments.
- CX2 (United States) – An airborne electronic warfare platform with RF‑sensing drone and seeker payload, enabling live detection and tracking of signal emitters.
- FOSSA Systems (Spain) – Nanosatellite-enabled, low‑power communications through a live satellite link transmitting field data with near real‑time verification.
- OLEDCOMM (France) – LiFi-based connectivity enabling secure, low‑observable drone‑to‑vehicle communications without RF emissions.
- SDQ Solutions Canada (Canada) – Real‑time RF threat detection and quantum‑resistant GNSS anti‑spoofing, identifying and responding to jamming and spoofing scenarios.
- Slipstream Design (United Kingdom) – Wideband, multimodal radar processing with live adaptive RF control and digital beamforming.
- Tern AI (United States) – Live trial of its alternative positioning system, delivering reliable navigation without GPS in contested environments.
- Testnor (Norway) – GNSS ‑denied testing environments, enabling validation of systems in realistic degraded and harsh operational conditions.
Strengthening UK capability and Allied collaboration
Alongside the UK cohort, the UK Demo Day featured a further 21 UK-based companies participating in the NATO DIANA 2026 programme across challenge call themes including advanced communications, autonomy, data analysis, critical infrastructure, energy systems, human resilience, and space operations – reflecting the breadth of the UK’s contribution to Allied innovation.
The event brought together innovators, defence stakeholders, and potential partners to move beyond awareness and into action – underpinned by NATO DIANA’s RAS, which provides a clear pathway to evaluate and transition technologies into operational use without the procurement barriers that have historically slowed adoption.
Following completion of Phase 1, selected companies will have the opportunity to continue their development through the next stage of the NATO DIANA programme. This phase will focus on further technical development, experimentation and engagement with end users to explore potential pathways toward future capability integration.
James Gavin, Deputy Director of UK Defence Innovation remarked:
"Two decades of experience in the defence and security industry have taught me that the majority of the technologies that will define the next decade of defence are already out there- in a lab, a startup, a university. The work that remains is creating an environment where innovators can turn a promising technology into something a soldier, sailor or aviator can actually rely on. This is the progress that the NATO DIANA programme advances. The six-month journey of iteration and end-user engagement these eight innovators have undertaken- with a remarkable willingness to be challenged and adapt- is exactly what we need in order to achieve our defence goals."
— ENDS —
About NATO DIANA
NATO DIANA finds and accelerates cutting-edge technologies to deliver battle-winning defence and security solutions for the Alliance, while fostering deep-tech innovation. As a cornerstone of NATO’s innovation and technology strategy, DIANA brings together world-class talent and the latest advancements to maintain the Alliance’s technological edge. Leveraging a network of leading accelerator sites, test centres, expert mentors, and Allied expertise across 32 nations, DIANA empowers innovators working at the intersection of defence readiness, commercial potential, and technological breakthroughs.
About Janus
Janus delivers the UK Accelerator for NATO DIANA as the appointed Delivery Partner on behalf of UK Defence Innovation (UKDI). Janus is a consortium led by IoT Tribe alongside the SETsquared Partnership and Atmos Ventures. Janus gives startups the tools, network and momentum to turn bold ideas into operational capabilities for the UK and NATO allies.
About UK Defence Innovation
UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) is a new innovation organisation that consolidates defence innovation under a single coherent system to accelerate cutting-edge capabilities from concept to frontline at pace. UKDI is part of the National Armaments Director Group (NADG) within the Ministry of Defence.
UKDI brings defence innovation together to move ideas rapidly from concept to frontline and stay ahead through continual technological advantage. The UKDI vision is to accelerate the delivery of cutting-edge innovative capabilities so that the United Kingdom is both secure at home and strong abroad.
UKDI is focused on harnessing commercial innovation, including dual-use technologies, to put capability in the hands of the Armed Forces and security frontline faster than ever before, whilst contributing to the Government’s drive for greater economic growth.
By backing the high-growth, high-tech UK defence firms of the future and supporting start-ups and scale-ups, UKDI boosts national security while making defence an engine for growth.
Thank you to our event partners
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