Defence | Skywin

A strategic, innovative and growing industrial ecosystem

The Walloon sector dedicated to Defence and Security is a historical sector, resulting from metallurgical and mechanical skills acquired in the 20th century. Today, it constitutes a strong and growing industrial sector in Wallonia.

It includes several large companies (Belgian and international) controlling the full value chain, as well as a dynamic network of SMEs continuously developing new skills.

Fields of activity

The Defence and Security sector focuses on competences covering the entire value chain :

Unmanned Intelligent Autonomous Systems (UIAS) and military drones
Processing/Data management, communication & embedded intelligent systems
Armament and integration of effectors
Structures, materials (including energetic) and protection elements
Life cycle support & services
Advanced air vehicles, control systems and propulsion
Space-based capabilities for defence

A strategic and collaborative ecosystem

Wallonia benefits from a dense and high-performing ecosystem, where collaboration between research centres, industry and public institutions (notably the Ministry of Defence) enables:

the development and supply of advanced equipment;
support to regional, federal and European authorities in strategic projects;
strengthening Wallonia’s international position in defence.

A roadmap focused on innovation

🔎 Consult the Space4Defence Roadmap - Wallonia

Space4Defence structures the Walloon space sector's contribution to defence issues. In a context where space is becoming a strategic operational domain, the initiative aims to mobilise regional players around key technologies: observation, secure communications, navigation and space surveillance.

🔎 Consult the Defence Roadmap - Wallonia

Developed by the Skywin and MecaTech clusters, in collaboration with industry, the Walloon Defence Roadmap aims to :

Define strategic technological priorities for Wallonia in a competitive international context;
Build proactive and effective support to European, federal and regional institutions, as well as to strategic industrial and academic partners;
Establish partnerships between research centres, industry and the Ministry of Defence to enable industry to contribute to the development, supply, and maintenance of advanced equipment.