Advancing UK Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space Solutions Worldwide

Defence Security Events

DSEI reveals keynote speaker schedule

Today saw the release of the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) 2021 programme of keynote speakers, including dates and times, which has been made available online.

Above: West Theatre, DSEI 2019.
Courtesy DSEI

The programme, running 14th-17th September at ExCeL London, features a range of defence leaders from the UK Government and HM Armed Forces, as well as international partners who will be announced in due course.

Speeches will be delivered live in an on-site keynote studio to a small audience. All speeches will be broadcast across the venue for attending visitors, as well as on the event’s digital platform 'DSEI Connect' for those who are unable to visit in person.

Advertisement
ODU RT

To reflect the central role of UK Strategic Command at DSEI 2021, the show’s first speech will be delivered by General Sir Patrick Sanders, Commander of Strategic Command. Gen Sanders will give  insight into the implementation of Multi-Domain Integration across Defence and highlight the role that industry has to play within that. His speech will be followed by an address from the Minister for Defence Procurement, Jeremy Quin MP, at 12:15.

Day One of DSEI will also welcome the first International Keynote speech of the show at 15:30, delivered by Lieutenant General Erik C Peterson, United States Army Deputy Chief of Staff.
 
Figureheads of the British Armed Forces are set to speak consecutively on Wednesday 15th September, with Second Sea Lord, Vice Admiral Nick Hine opening DSEI Day Two. He will cover the Royal Navy’s key theme for DSEI as well as how they aim to harness innovation, technology and data solutions to provide a truly integrated Royal Navy.

The next speech will be delivered by General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith, Chief of the General Staff, who will explore the theme of the British Army at DSEI, 'Future Soldier: An Integrated Army' and the new land operating concept.

Later that day, Air Chief Sir Mike Wigston will explore the opportunities 6th Generation Fighters represent for the defence industrial base and the Royal Air Force theme for DSEI: 'The Next Generation Air Force - integrated for advantage, by design, across all domains'. The RAF’s plans to enhance pan-national industrial collaboration will be an essential topic for the Air Domain, as the FCAS (Future Combat Arial Systems) and TEMPEST return to the show floor.

To complete this line-up Sir Simon Bollom, CEO of DE&S, will be opening the show’s third day on Thursday 16th September with his keynote address on 'An agile and responsive workforce for the future'.

Day Three will also welcome UK Secretary of State for Defence, Ben Wallace, who will deliver his speech at 14:00, emphasising his commitment to international defence cooperation and collaboration, through industry.

A range of keynotes will also stream online exclusively via DSEI Connect, including a speech delivered by UK MoD Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Dame Angela McLean, who has been heavily involved in the Covid response.


To view the full schedule of keynotes and seminars at DSEI visit:
www.dsei.co.uk/keynote-speakers

Advertisement
PTC rectangle

 

 

 

 

Advertisement
Gulfstream banner
DroneShield and OpenWorks Engineering expand C2 interoperability

Defence Security

DroneShield and OpenWorks Engineering expand C2 interoperability

24 March 2026

Counter-unmanned systems (C-UxS) solutions provider, DroneShield, today announced interoperability between DroneSentry-C2 command-and-control software and optical sensing technologies from OpenWorks Engineering.

Fiona Walters takes over as Serco’s UK & Europe CEO

Defence Security Space

Fiona Walters takes over as Serco’s UK & Europe CEO

24 March 2026

Fiona Walters has taken up her role as CEO of the UK & Europe division of Serco, having joined Serco in September 2025 from G4S, where she was Regional CEO for the UK & Ireland, leading a team of more than 30,000 people.

Marshall Land Systems partners with Tecnove

Defence Security

Marshall Land Systems partners with Tecnove

23 March 2026

Marshall Land Systems and the Tecnove Business Group have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore and develop collaborative opportunities across the defence, medical and industrial sectors.

Airbus to acquire Ultra Cyber in the UK

Security

Airbus to acquire Ultra Cyber in the UK

23 March 2026

Airbus has entered into a definitive agreement with the Cobham Ultra group, a portfolio company of Advent, for the acquisition of Ultra Cyber Ltd.

Advertisement
ODU RT
Global Innovation Centre opened by ePropelled in Coventry

Aerospace Defence Security

Global Innovation Centre opened by ePropelled in Coventry

23 March 2026

Provider of smart propulsion solutions and energy management systems for uncrewed vehicles, ePropelled, has opened its new Global Innovation Centre in Coventry, expanding the UK’s sovereign capability in electric and hybrid propulsion as the company scales toward producing more than one million propulsion systems annually by 2027.

Anti-drone tech patents surge

Aerospace Defence Security

Anti-drone tech patents surge

19 March 2026

The number of patent applications for anti-drone (counter-UAV) technologies filed globally increased by 27% to 126 last year*, up from 99 the year before, according to new research from intellectual property (IP) law firm Mathys & Squire.

Advertisement
PTC rectangle
Advertisement
FIA2026 animated banner