The battlefield is changing before our eyes. Three years of the Ukraine invasion have accelerated the development of new technology, demanding a new approach from our forces and the defence industrial base. When the battlefield is increasingly networked across multiple domains, the winners will be those who can find, use, and act on data the fastest. This requires software with interoperability, modularity, and open architecture at its heart. But above all, Britain needs as much sovereign capability as possible. It’s time for Britain’s SMEs to step up and grapple with the reality of modern warfare.
Rising geopolitical tensions in the Euro-Atlantic, Indo-Pacific, and Middle East might all look separate from each other, but they are, in fact, deeply intertwined. Events in one of these critical regional theatres often have consequences elsewhere. Britain needs the sovereign capability to monitor these global movements and act decisively and quickly in response. This is an alarming future, though not one without opportunity. British SMEs can work with government and academia to rebuild British defence and help our forces to be battle ready.
Government understands the challenge ahead. In the Strategic Defence Review, ministers promised £1 billion of investment for a Digital Targeting Web by 2027. This would create an Integrated Force for Britain whereby a common data fabric connects sensors, deciders, and effectors to deliver rapid decision making capable of identifying and countering targets across all domains, including cyber and electronic warfare. It’s an ambitious and essential goal. To get this done quickly, British SMEs cannot sit on their hands and wait for the Government to set out its requirements and start a bidding process. They need to build it now.
To achieve this, defence networks need to operate in hard real-time to allow all systems, partners, and decision-makers to share and act on data faster than our adversaries. Speed has long been king in warfare. Being able to control the pace of battle will allow our forces and allies to dictate the outcome. But dominating the fighting tempo requires our forces to connect seamlessly, decide faster, and adapt continuously. This can also improve our forces’ preparedness before operations take place. In short, victory for Britain and her allies depends on interoperability.
Information gathered in space by satellites can inform action elsewhere from fighter jets to troops on the ground. For example, operations in the North Atlantic to detect Russian submarine forces. AI can help create the most efficient targeting system possible, to deliver greater accuracy, lethality, and affordability. But this does not just mean operating across different domains. It means managing targeting through different branches of the forces and between allies in NATO, Five Eyes, and the Joint Expeditionary Force.
To deliver a successful Digital Targeting Web, all systems need to work in unison. These systems should be easily extendable and able to integrate with multiple standards, requiring a high degree of modularity. British SMEs have the expertise and the drive to make this happen. Rapid change often happens when it is private sector-led. Hadean and its partners know how to exploit the latest developments in technology in time to gain the necessary advantage for Britain’s forces. Given the pace of global events, we need to keep pace and ensure we do not become trapped by outdated software.
British SMEs are ready to work with partners and allies without delay. At CWIX 2025, Hadean demonstrated its interoperability capabilities with 15 nations, including Ukraine’s ground-breaking delta platform and running over 20 mission rehearsal tests. Hadean has the experience to help build a network for multidomain conflict, taking advantage of the opportunities of AI and autonomous platforms. As a result of this work, our forces’ operations will be way ahead of the curve. The software is ready and can make a real difference on the battlefield now. This is not theoretical. It has practical benefits for other aspects of defence technology, such as supporting the growth of new drone technologies, that will make a real difference.
The accelerating speed of geopolitics, innovation, and conflict also means defence procurement is undergoing a major change. National governments are looking to buy more defence products off the shelf as they rush to rearm. Software is no exception. The Strategic Defence Review was the Government’s call to the defence sector, explaining what it needs to prepare for potential conflict. British SMEs – like Hadean – must answer this call. By helping establish a technology stack, instead of waiting for lengthy Whitehall approval, Hadean and its partners are creating real solutions right now.
We need to establish a defence industrial base that brings prosperity at home and strengthens our resilience abroad. There is much more to be done on growing domestic supply chains in defence with SMEs at their heart. But this does not close us off from the world. Sovereignty is about choice, not isolation. Partnerships like AUKUS and JCAP are great programmes that should endure and be built on. We will need more global alliances to effectively deter our adversaries, requiring nimbleness and flexibility from our forces. It is time to embrace sovereignty, increasing our range of choice and improving our position as one of Europe’s leading security guarantors. Hadean and its partners are ready to play their part in this new national effort.