European Defence Industry Presence in the UK
Explore the evolving European defence industry post-Ukraine invasion. Our interactive map highlights key European companies and their UK operations, showcasing their vital roles.
The European defence industry is changing. Demand has increased since the Russian invasion of Ukraine as European nations provided military equipment to Ukraine and are looking to maintain and build up their own capabilities. Industry needs to deliver that ambition. Since the end of the Cold War, the sector has gone through a period of internationalisation. Today, many companies have subsidiaries across Europe with different expertise. This influences supply chains and necessitates a deep understanding of the internationalisation of the defence industrial base when formulating effective defence industrial policy that satisfies the new needs in European defence. Â
Our interactive map showcases this internationalisation of the European defence industrial base, highlighting European companies’ presence in the UK. It visualises the UK production and administration sites of the EU-based defence companies with the most directly employed UK employees and lists the type of work done at these sites.
Interactive Map
To use the map, click on one of the pins on the map. If multiple companies are located at the same location, the map will zoom in and display more pins. Click on a pin and the map will display basic information on the company and its activities at the selected location.
European Defence Companies
Access summary information about each European defence company with a presence in the UK.
Through the expertise we hold on the subject of Defence Acquisition and Industrial Strategy and our office based in Brussels, RUSI is ideally placed to consider the future of UK-EU defence ties and Europe’s defence industrial capabilities.
Contact Dr Linus Terhorst with any questions on this research topic and this resource.
Methodology
This resource is a product of research conducted by Linus Terhorst between January and June 2025. Â
It uses data collected from the websites of the UK subsidiaries of EU based defence companies, which was verified directly with the companies. The current sample is limited to the five biggest EU-based defence companies, as per their direct UK employees in the defence business.
