Estonia Emerges as a Key Player in NATO DIANA Defence Innovation Effort
Wayren and Telearmy to receive exclusive NATO support to tackle crucial defense challenges.
TALLINN, Estonia, Sept. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In a field of more than 2,600 applicants from across the NATO Alliance, two of Estonia's defense sector companies - Wayren and Telearmy - have been selected among a group of 15 advancing to Phase 2 of NATO's Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) program that connects 75 innovation centres worldwide.
Wayren and Telearmy are building solutions that tackle some of NATO's toughest defense challenges in modern warfare:
- Wayren builds resilient battlefield communications networks that keep data and voice links alive even in disruption. They use a hybrid platform that seamlessly switches between satellite, radio, and mobile networks.
"Being selected for DIANA Phase 2 is a huge vote of confidence in our mission to ensure mission-cricial teams stay operational when it matters most. Our reliable communication platform provides rapid decision making and command and control capabilities even when everything else fails - with difficult terrain, disruptions and infrastructure failure. DIANA gives us the resources and partners to get our technology into the hands of NATO forces faster," said Henry Härm, CEO of Wayren.
- Telearmy develops remote driving technology for military vehicles turning them into unmanned systems for logistics, reconnaissance, and evacuations in high-risk zones. Their next-generation system retrofits with any ground platform from light ATVs to heavier armored vehicles .
"Estonia's size, tech-savviness, and openness to new technologies have given us unique tools to move with agility and bring deep technologies into real use cases. With our technology already war-proven in Ukraine, NATO DIANA's quality stamp, and now high-level support, we can scale rapidly - turning any military vehicle into a remotely operated from very far distances, keeping soldiers out of danger and providing a more flexible way to operate on the changing battlefield" said Enn Laansoo Jr., CEO of Telearmy.
Congratulating the companies, Hanno Pevkur, Minister of Defense, said:
"I am very pleased to see Estonia's contribution to NATO DIANA stand out so strongly. The fact that three of the teams that accelerated here in Estonia - including two of our own defense industry companies - have advanced to the next stage shows how quickly Estonian entrepreneurs can adapt, act and seize opportunities. The same applies to our Defense Forces, who have been on board with testing new solutions."
Each company will receive €300,000 in non-dilutive funding, access to NATO test centers, and tailored support to move their technology closer to operational use through NATO's Rapid Adoption Service program.
Standing alongside the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, Estonia is one of the only countries represented by two or more firms, giving Estonia one of the strongest showings among NATO nations in the second phase. This comes at a time when Estonia has committed to raise its defense spending to 5.4% of GDP by 2026, with a projected €10 billion investment over 2026-2029. Already in 2025, defense expenditures are expected to be about 3.38% of GDP which sets Estonia well above the EU and NATO averages.
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