The Ministry's leadership is actively working to implement a series of development projects by 2026, with the aim of modernizing the Slovenian Armed Forces and encouraging the domestic defense industry and researchers to participate in these processes. The goal is to ensure that innovations have dual-use potential, meaning they can be used both for defense and within the protection, rescue, and assistance systems. This year, the Ministry of Defence is allocating €12.5 million for research and development, and next year, the allocation will increase to €23 million.

Today’s ceremonial signing of contracts for projects with clusters of Slovenian companies marks a milestone in the modernization of the Slovenian Armed Forces and is one of the first concrete results of efforts supported by both domestic and European funding.

The weapon station will be modular and can be integrated into other vehicles of the Slovenian Armed Forces with minor adjustments or equipped with different caliber weapons and additional subsystems, such as a laser warning system, acoustic shot detection sensors, anti-tank guided missiles, surface-to-air missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, or artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms for target detection, identification, and tracking.

The technological model will also include an alarm stimulator for missile flight detectors installed on aircraft, developed and produced in Slovenia. The project will also develop a digital twin, a trainer, and a simulator for the remotely operated air defense system.

The Ministry of Defence expects that the research and development project will be fully completed within 24 months of signing the contract by a consortium of Slovenian companies including ASH, Guardiaris, Carboteh Technologies, Leokom, and the lead Ljubljana-based company Valhalla Turrets. The project strengthens Slovenia's defense research, industrial, and technological base and increases the level of defense technological self-sufficiency. Successful completion of the project also opens up opportunities for the Slovenian defense industry to participate in joint European development projects. The total project value is slightly over €4.914 million, including VAT.

State Secretary Dr. Damir Črnčec and Tomi Ilijaš, director of the company Arctur, also signed a contract today for the purchase of an unmanned aerial vehicle with nuclear, radiological, chemical, and biological (CBRN) upgrades, as part of the capabilities developed through the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) project within the European Union.

The contract stems from the PESCO investment project for CBRN surveillance as a service. Led by Austria, with Slovenia, Croatia, and Hungary participating, the project aims to develop the EU's defense capabilities in these areas by May 2024, with a total project value of €10 million. The European Commission is contributing approximately €6.5 million, while the participating countries are providing €3.5 million, of which Slovenia is contributing €400,000. Slovenian companies involved include C-Astral, Mil Sistemika, IOS, Onedrone, and the lead company Arctur from Nova Gorica. Through this national contribution, Slovenia is supporting the integration of its defense industry products into the EU market. The European Commission is also funding further technology development, technical testing, standardization, and certification for Slovenian companies, providing almost €730,000.

This project is being enhanced at the national level with the signing of a contract between the Ministry and Arctur for the purchase of an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a technological demonstrator for recognizing CBRN situations in contaminated areas. These capabilities will allow early detection of such threats, rapid response, and actions both for the defense of Slovenia and for dual-use purposes in natural and other disasters, ensuring a higher level of CBRN safety and protection for people, natural resources, and material assets. The contract for the purchase of the unmanned aerial vehicle is valued at over €1.153 million, including VAT, and covers the complete supply of the UAV system with trained pilots and operators by August next year.