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June 2026
The Race to Deploy Is Outpacing the Race to Develop
AI, AUTONOMY, AND ALLIED PROCUREMENT ARE COMPRESSING THE GAP BETWEEN INNOVATION AND OPERATIONAL ADVANTAGE
To our Partners and Stakeholders,
June marked an inflection point across the defense and deep technology landscape, as allied governments moved from strategic commitment to tangible action. Across defense, space, quantum and advanced manufacturing, governments and their industrial partners are converting breakthrough capability into fielded advantage with increasing urgency — from AI-enabled autonomous systems and quantum navigation to flexible semiconductors and sovereign counter-drone infrastructure. This momentum was reflected across both the BOKA portfolio and the broader market.
Infleqtion deepened its engagement with the UK Government and Ministry of Defence ahead of the Commercialising Quantum Global 2026 summit, with Royal Navy trials of its Tiqker™ optical atomic clock aboard the autonomous submarine Excalibur confirming the operational relevance of quantum sensing in GPS-denied environments. ALL.SPACE secured a significant production order to support volume manufacturing of its next-generation tactical terminals, while Pragmatic Semiconductor continued to scale commercial shipments of its FlexIC technology from Durham, reinforcing the viability of capital-light, non-silicon manufacturing at pace.
Against a backdrop of rising European defense budgets, accelerating AI and autonomy programs, and deepening cooperation between allied technology ecosystems, including the strengthened UK-Japan frontier technology partnership announced this month, the importance of aligned capital, sovereign industrial capability and scalable innovation continues to grow. The developments across this month's Global Insights reinforce a consistent signal: the organizations best positioned for the decade ahead will be those capable of rapidly translating technical leadership into deployable solutions that serve national security, economic resilience and strategic advantage.
BOKA NEWS
BOKA Appoints Lieutenant General (Ret.) Dennis Gyllensporre as Senior Advisor (June 2026) ↗
BOKA Capital has appointed Lieutenant General (Ret.) Dennis Gyllensporre as Senior Advisor, strengthening the firm's access to European, NATO and wider transatlantic defense networks. A former Chief of Defense Staff of the Swedish Armed Forces and current Chair of NATO's Defenc\se Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA), General Gyllensporre brings extensive operational, procurement and strategic experience. He will provide independent guidance on NATO capability development, allied procurement priorities and the adoption of emerging technologies, supporting BOKA and its portfolio companies as they expand across allied defence markets.
BOKA Welcomes Lieutenant General (Ret.) Sir Ian Cave KCB as Senior Fellow (June 2026) ↗
BOKA Capital has appointed Lieutenant General Sir Ian Cave as a Senior Fellow under the firm's Senior Fellowship program. The program brings senior officers into BOKA to deepen their understanding of private capital in technology and national security, while contributing their own operational and strategic expertise to the firm and its portfolio companies. Over the course of the Senior Fellowship, Sir Ian will work alongside BOKA's investment team and portfolio companies and author a white paper bringing his insight to a wider audience.
Most recently the United Kingdom's Military Representative to NATO and the European Union in Brussels, and previously Commander Home Command and Standing Joint Commander (UK), Sir Ian brings nearly four decades of operational, command and alliance-level experience, including operations in Northern Ireland, the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan. His perspective on NATO and EU capability development, allied procurement and sovereign resilience will be a significant asset to BOKA.
BOKA Attends Mission 2044 REARM Europe Summit in Berlin ↗
BOKA Partner Niklas List alongside Operating Partners Rich Julien and Grant Hume, attended the Mission 2044 REARM Europe Summit 2026 in Berlin on 10 June. The Summit convened leading voices from the global defense innovation ecosystem, including founders, investors, defense primes, military leaders, policymakers, and thought leaders from Europe and allied nations, to address the defining strategic question of our time: how Europe can rebuild the strength, resilience, and technological leadership required to safeguard its security and sovereignty. The conference underscored that, in the face of growing and imminent security threats, Europe must accelerate its assumption of greater responsibility for its own defense through rapid rearmament and the exploitation of cutting-edge technologies. The event provided a valuable opportunity for BOKA to engage with industry leaders, investors, and experts at the forefront of defense technology in support of BOKA Growth III investment activity.
PORTFOLIO SPOTLIGHT
Infleqtion
Infleqtion Expands UK Quantum Ecosystem Engagement Through Sponsorship of Quantum Fringe 2026 (2 June 2026)↗
Infleqtion announced its sponsorship and participation in Quantum Fringe 2026, a series of events focused on advancing quantum computing adoption across the UK. The company will participate in workshops, benchmarking initiatives and industry collaboration programmes, reinforcing its position within the growing British quantum ecosystem.
UK Government Extends Direct Tactical Engagement with Infleqtion Quantum Technologies Ahead of London Summit (8 June 2026) ↗
The UK Government has deepened its direct operational engagement with Infleqtion as the company prepares a series of high-profile technology rollouts at the Commercialising Quantum Global 2026 summit in London. Notably, the UK Ministry of Defence confirmed that Royal Navy trials of Infleqtion’s Tiqker™ optical atomic clock, which was integrated into the autonomous submarine Excalibur (XCal) to provide GPS-denied navigation, are scheduled to resume late this month.
ALL.SPACE
ALL.SPACE Awards $8.2M Production Order to Sivers Semiconductors for Ka-Band Beamforming ICs (9 June 2026) ↗
ALL.SPACE placed a significant multi-beam Ka-band beamforming integrated circuit (BFIC) production order to support volume manufacturing of its next-generation tactical terminals through 2027. This milestone follows strong pipeline momentum for U.S. and Canadian defense clients, as well as the company’s pending acquisition by York Space Systems to scale multi-orbit communications infrastructure.
Pragmatic Semiconductor
Pragmatic Semiconductor Scales Up Durham Production to Challenge US and Asian Silicon (3 June 2026) ↗
Pragmatic Semiconductor is rapidly scaling commercial shipments of its low-cost, ultra-thin flexible integrated circuits (FlexICs) from its 55,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Durham. Backed by the National Wealth Fund and major institutional investors, the modular, capital-light fab model allows the company to produce billions of non-silicon tracking chips for global supply chains at a pace traditional silicon foundries cannot match, positioning the firm for a highly anticipated IPO over the next 24 months.
MARKET WATCH
NATO DIANA Launches Six New Dual-Use Technology Challenges (1 June 2026)↗
NATO’s Defense Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic launched six new challenge areas for dual-use innovators, focused on emerging defense and security needs across the Alliance. The program continues to act as a key route for startups developing technologies in AI, autonomy, sensing, communications and resilience.
Roboze Highlights Software-Defined Defence Manufacturing (8 June 2026)↗
Roboze outlined how distributed, autonomous and software-defined manufacturing can support defence and critical industries. The article highlights how advanced additive manufacturing is moving beyond prototyping and becoming part of resilient production infrastructure.
Helsing Drones Tested by U.S. Troops in Europe (9 June 2026) ↗
U.S. troops tested Helsing’s German-made HX-2 attack drones during military exercises in Lithuania under Project Flytrap. The trials underline Helsing’s growing relevance in NATO-aligned defence innovation and the increasing role of AI-enabled autonomous systems in European security.
NATO Innovation Fund Backs Isar Aerospace’s €270 Million Round (9 June 2026) ↗
The NATO Innovation Fund reaffirmed its backing of Isar Aerospace as part of a €270 million financing round. The investment supports Europe’s sovereign space launch capabilities and strengthens NATO-aligned access to critical space infrastructure.
UK Defence Chief Announces Rapid AI Delivery Task Force (10 June 2026) ↗
The UK Chief of Defence Staff used London Tech Week to announce a Rapid AI Delivery Task Force, aimed at accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence across defence. The announcement reflects the UK’s push to shorten the gap between technology development and operational deployment.
Airbus Partners with Alta Ares on European Counter-Drone Systems (11 June 2026)↗
Airbus signed a partnership with French counter-drone startup Alta Ares to develop and integrate European counter-UAS capabilities. The collaboration reflects growing demand for sovereign air-defence systems capable of responding to drone and loitering-munition threats.
Elbit and Diehl Defence Team on German Loitering Munition Proposal (12 June 2026) ↗
Elbit Systems and Germany’s Diehl Defence announced a partnership to offer the SkyStriker loitering munition system to the German Armed Forces. The deal highlights Europe’s increasing focus on domestic production, loitering munitions and sovereign strike capabilities.
UK and Japan Deepen Frontier Technology Partnership (14 June 2026)↗
The UK and Japan announced a strengthened frontier technology partnership covering science, technology, cyber, semiconductors and industrial cooperation. The agreement supports deeper collaboration between two key allied technology ecosystems.
Teledyne FLIR Unveils Black Recon Microdrone System (15 June 2026)↗
Teledyne FLIR introduced Black Recon, a lightweight microdrone system designed for defense and security use cases. The system reflects rising demand for small, deployable intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms.
AI-Powered Wingman Aircraft Take Centre Stage at Berlin Airshow (16 June 2026)↗
AI-enabled “wingman” drones were a major focus at the Berlin Airshow, with companies including Airbus, Boeing, Helsing and General Atomics showcasing future collaborative combat aircraft concepts. The trend highlights Europe’s push to modernise airpower while reducing reliance on non-European defence systems.
Army Secretary Signs Allied Counter-Drone Agreement at Eurosatory 2026 (17 June 2026)↗
Representatives from nine European nations joined U.S. Army Secretary Driscoll at the Eurosatory defense exhibition in Paris to commit to streamlining counter-UAS acquisition and training and fielding effective systems faster across allied forces, reinforcing the strategic priority placed on counter-drone capability.