MN TECH - News

Insights From Lithuanian Maritime Defense Industry Days 2025

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 10:16:00 +0000

I had the honor of participating in the Lithuanian Maritime Defense Industry Days 2025 on December 3–4.

It was an intense two-day program that brought together naval command, defense ministries, shipbuilders, technology developers, and international industry partners.

The agenda outlined a clear strategic direction for the Baltic region:

● Opening and strategic introduction
— Tomas Prūšas, President of LINPRA
— Jérôme Sena, Naval Group
— Paulius Petrauskas, Deputy Minister of Economy and Innovation
— Capt. Tadas Jablonskis, Commander of the Lithuanian Navy

● Main discussions
— Requirements and prospects of a small maritime state (Defense Materiel Agency)
— Experience of the Belgian Navy and delivery of BNS Oostende
— Naval Group: a global player in maritime defense
— MP-OPV as the flagship of Lithuania
— Industrial cooperation and procurement strategy for Lithuania
— Strengthening R&D partnerships and Baltic-European cooperation

● Partnership sessions and MoU signing
— Western Shipyard & Naval Group: two partners, one vision

The Baltic Sea region is becoming increasingly united and technologically stronger.
Such meetings significantly strengthen our joint maritime defense capabilities — from innovation and shipbuilding to autonomous platforms and modern digital command and control systems.

How the U.S. Army Drives Technological Progress — Inspiring Insights from the XTech Disrupt Competition

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 08:13:00 +0000

Today, I attended the U.S. Army’s XTech Disrupt competition as a spectator, where eight top startups each received $62,000 for their groundbreaking innovations.

The event is an inspiring example of how the U.S. Army actively fosters technological progress by organizing startup competitions that bring together innovators, entrepreneurs, and the defense sector to co-create solutions for national security.

Key takeaways:

It’s truly inspiring to see the military sector collaborating with civilian innovators.
The U.S. Army sets a strong example of how government institutions can be real innovation drivers — not just sponsors.
Events like this show how early-stage technologies can evolve into real solutions for defense and dual-use applications.

In the finals, U.S. Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll personally presented the awards to the finalists — a powerful symbol of how seriously the Army takes innovation.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17Ha5VXukT/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Northern European Seminar: Defense Transformation & Strategic Cooperation

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 14:31:00 +0000

LTG Mike Nagata – Strategic Advisor & Senior VP, CACI

On October 15 at the Contemporary Military Forum, I had the privilege to attend the session “The Northern European Perspective to Transformation” — an insightful discussion featuring top military leaders from across Northern Europe.

Speakers:

LTG Mike Nagata – Strategic Advisor & Senior VP, CACI

LTG Pasi Välimäki – Commander of the Finnish Army

MG Peter Harling Boysen – Chief of the Royal Danish Army

MG Lars S. Lervik – Commander General of the Norwegian Army

MAJ GEN Jonny Lindfors – Commander of the Swedish Army

The dialogue highlighted the evolving defense cooperation among Nordic and Baltic nations, emphasizing joint readiness, innovation, and interoperability as the cornerstone of regional security and transformation.

Strength through partnership, innovation through collaboration.

Drone Summit 2025

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 11:27:00 +0000

In the photo together with Latvia’s Minister of Defence, Andris Sprūds

On May 28, 2025, Drone Summit 2025 was held in Riga, Latvia, marking a significant milestone in strengthening international security and technological cooperation. During the summit, it was officially announced that Turkey and Belgium will join the Drone Coalition led by Latvia and the United Kingdom, aimed at providing coordinated and long-term support to Ukraine through unmanned technologies.

Solutions for real combat scenarios were demonstrated – including unmanned platforms for air, maritime, and land operations, such as drones for reconnaissance, combat, rescue, and logistics.

Latvia’s contribution in 2025:

€20 million – for supplying drones to support Ukraine’s defense;
€10 million – for joint innovation and manufacturing projects with the Ukrainian industry;
€180+ million – total coalition contribution to the UK-led centralized drone procurement fund.

More information: https://dronesummit.lv/#about

MN TECH Strengthens International Cooperation with the Dutch Defence Industry

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 18:08:00 +0000

With 41 companies and over 60 participants, this is one of the largest Dutch trade missions focused on drone technology. The mission is led by Oost NL, in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence of the Netherlands, Netherlands Industries for Defence & Security (NIDV), Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (BOM), LIOF, InnovationQuarter, NV NOM, and Horizon Flevoland. Throughout the week, Dutch entrepreneurs and organizations actively engage in fostering international cooperation, innovation, and security.

On May 26, 2025, MN TECH participated in a high-level industry event held in Riga, organized by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Latvia in cooperation with the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA). The event aimed to introduce more than 60 Dutch business representatives from 41 companies to leading Latvian drone and military technology manufacturers.

Dr. Artis Pabriks, Chairman of the Board of the MilTech Association and former Minister of Defence of Latvia, provided the guests with insights into the most promising Latvian defence sector companies with strong growth potential, emphasizing their relevance in international cooperation and innovation.

This event served as a significant platform for building direct business connections between Latvian and Dutch defence and technology companies, fostering joint development projects, knowledge exchange, and the creation of advanced security solutions.

MN TECH proudly represented Latvia’s engineering capabilities, showcasing its latest developments in the Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) sector and exploring partnership opportunities with international stakeholders.

Read the full article:
https://oostnl.nl/nieuws-overzicht/nederlandse-missie-naar-drone-summit-2025-in-riga-van-start

The international defence and maritime-security exhibition IMDEX ASIA 2025

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 18:00:00 +0000

From 5 to 7 May 2025 we took part in the international defence and maritime-security exhibition IMDEX ASIA 2025, held in dynamic, high-tech Singapore. The event brought together leading players in the global maritime industry, government officials and defence-innovation companies, providing an excellent platform for exchanging experience and forging new partnerships.

We had the special honour of joining NEWT21 board member Jānis Garisons for his presentation to the Republic of Singapore Navy. His talk highlighted Latvia’s rapidly growing expertise and innovative solutions in the production of unmanned surface vessels (USVs), built on home-grown technologies, modern manufacturing processes and strategic international cooperation.

Participation in IMDEX ASIA 2025 further strengthened Latvia’s position as a reliable partner in the field of defence innovation. We are grateful to all colleagues, partners and visitors for their keen interest, support and inspiring conversations throughout the exhibition!

https://www.imdexasia.com/visit/visit-us

In the Spirit of Easter – Strengthening Latvia’s Defense Through Industry Collaboration

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 12:02:00 +0000

In the spirit of Easter, the MN TECH team had the honor of participating in a high-level industry meeting organized by the Association of Military Technologies, Drones, and Robotics. The event brought together key stakeholders from the defense industry, government, and military leadership to discuss the development of Latvia’s defense capabilities and the active involvement of local industry in strengthening collective security.

A meaningful discussion took place with the Commander of the National Armed Forces, Major General Kaspars Pudāns, focusing on Latvia’s strategic defense direction, the necessary development initiatives, and the role of industry in contributing to the capabilities of both NATO and the Latvian Armed Forces.

MN TECH emphasized the importance of designing, developing, and producing maritime drones as a priority technological direction with strong potential to enhance national operational capacity in the Baltic Sea region. We believe this area is of strategic importance and requires focused development in cooperation with public institutions and other industry stakeholders.

We are sincerely grateful to Artis Pabriks, a long-time supporter of the defense sector, for his commitment to strengthening the industry and shaping a forward-looking vision.

We also extend our thanks to Kaspars Polaks, Head of LMT Defence, for the warm hospitality and support in providing the space and setting for meaningful dialogue between industry and military representatives.

Meetings like these confirm that only through close cooperation between developers, businesses, and national security institutions can we build a strong, modern defense system. MN TECH is committed to advancing and delivering innovative solutions rooted in local expertise, bold thinking, and a clear vision for the future.

MN TECH – Technologies that protect.

Industry Day 2025

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 13:21:00 +0000

10.04 MN TECH representatives participated in the Industry Day 2025 organised by the Ministry of the Interior, which focused on security issues, technology opportunities and solutions for the future.
Discussions with industry professionals and representatives of national security authorities highlighted key issues: crisis preparedness, effective use of personnel, technology integration and changing forms of cooperation. There was a strong focus on how to make the most of existing resources and develop solutions for future challenges.
We also had the opportunity to learn about security solutions and technologies developed in Latvia - innovations that demonstrate Latvia's potential to be a leader not only locally, but also internationally.
Thank you to the organisers and all participants for the valuable conversations and contacts! Safety is our shared responsibility.

Baltic Security Conference 2025

Tue, 08 Apr 2025 17:10:00 +0000

This week, I participated in the Baltic Security Conference 2025, which brought together Baltic and international security and defense professionals under one roof.

It was truly valuable to meet like-minded people, hear success stories, and share ideas about the region’s security development. Events like this are inspiring and open up new collaboration opportunities!

Many thanks to the organizers for their professional approach and the high standard of the event.

More about the conference: https://balticsecurityconference.lv/en/

XPONENTIAL 2024, San Diego, USA

Tue, 08 Apr 2025 17:08:00 +0000

In April 2024, I participated in one of the world’s leading events in the field of unmanned and autonomous systems – XPONENTIAL 2024, held in San Diego, USA.

The event was attended by a broad Latvian delegation, representing the defense, technology, and innovation sectors. It was a great opportunity to strengthen Latvia’s visibility on the international stage and foster collaboration with some of the world’s leading technology companies.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the U.S. Embassy in Latvia for the invitation and support, which made it possible to be part of this important event.