Prototype warfare: A defence prime’s playbook for turning technology into battlefield capability

At Tech.eu, I spend a lot of time talking to startups in sectors such as defencetech and spacetech. But startups are only one part of the innovation ecosystem. For founders, understanding how the defence primes operate matters: they can be customers, partners, investors, routes into government procurement, and a bridge between emerging technology and deployment at scale. So what happens inside these huge companies, which are expected to develop cutting-edge technology while operating at a very different scale, speed, and level of scrutiny? Leonardo is a global aerospace, defence, and security group employing more than 62,000 people across electronics, helicopters, aircraft, cyber and security, and space. In 2025, it recorded revenues of €19.5 billion and an order backlog of €46.6 billion. In the UK, Leonardo is a roughly £3 billion business employing more than 10,000 people. Its activities range from helicopter manufacturing, defence electronics and counter drone systems to autonomo