UK & European Defence Manufacturing

Supporting sovereign defence supply chains, innovation and readiness.

Europe is entering a new era of defence. As global threats escalate and technologies like artificial intelligence, cyber and space reshape the battlefield, the demand for fast, resilient and locally compliant defence innovation has never been greater.

Prompted by the conflict in Ukraine and initiatives such as the Readiness 2030 plan, European and UK governments are significantly increasing their defence investments. This means defence programmes - from advanced missile systems to secure command and control - must now be delivered faster, more sustainably and with greater national autonomy.

1. Accelerating defence innovation

Connecting land, sea and air into cyber and space can deliver battle-winning technology. However, the UK’s historic technology advantage is increasingly being challenged by emerging global powers. Defence innovation needs to accelerate to sustain strategic advantage and respond to the UK and Europe’s modernisation agendas.

Through decades of working with defence original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), we’ve identified a four-step process to bring emerging defence technologies to market quickly:

1. Build an integrated and agile project team
2. Proactive supply chain management
3. Rely on flexible and quality-focused manufacturing solutions
4. Ensure regulatory and sovereign compliance from the start

Choosing the right partner avoids complex sourcing, technical, engineering and volume manufacturing challenges that could slow you down or stop your technology from reaching the field.

If you’re looking for new ways to deliver defence innovation, read more about how Plexus can help.

2. Security of supply

The conflict in Ukraine, increased global tensions and initiatives such as the EU’s Readiness 2030 have driven a surge in demand for defence technology. Across the UK and EU, production must now scale dramatically, with many systems required faster than the industry can traditionally deliver. Both the UK Ministry of Defence and European member states have committed to increasing stockpiles, replenishing aging systems and strengthening supply chain resilience, placing greater pressure on defence OEMs and their partners.

Defence contractors must assess whether their current supply chains can sustain delivery under material shortages or geopolitical disruption. In the past, buying more parts may have solved the problem. Today, no amount of leverage can access parts that simply don’t exist.

Proactive supply chain management such as DRIVE, our predictive analytics solution, can help. It identifies supply risks before they materialise, allowing time to redesign, re-source or substitute before delays hit production. This ensures continuity and keeps mission-critical equipment in the hands of those who need it.

3. Navigating national compliance

From the UK’s Defence Industrial Strategy to EU-wide Readiness 2030 initiatives, defence customers are under growing pressure to demonstrate national content, sovereign capability and resilience in their supply chains. For defence OEMs, this requires a shift in how programmes are structured and where critical systems are designed and manufactured.

Increasingly, nations are implementing “Buy European” preferences or requiring local sourcing to secure funding or meet public procurement conditions. Even global primes are seeking local partnerships to maintain eligibility.

Plexus helps customers meet these requirements through:

• Operations free from U.S. export controls
• Design, manufacturing and sustaining services based in Scotland and Romania
• A proven track record of aligning with national offset and content goals

Whether supplying the UK Ministry of Defence or collaborating with a European partner, we enable compliance without compromising speed or innovation.

4. Accessing the right talent

According to the Institute of Engineering and Technology, 49 percent of engineering businesses are experiencing difficulties recruiting workers with the skills they need. This challenge is heightened in the defence sector, where security clearances, niche experience and global competition further limit the available pool.

Greater focus on STEM education, diversity and long-term workforce development is critical but not fast. Outsourcing can provide burst support or serve as a long-term strategy, extending your in-house team’s capacity and accelerating time to market.

With a strong engineering culture and embedded talent development programmes, Plexus brings not just capability, but the right mindset to support your long-term goals. Our UK-based design and manufacturing teams operate as an extension of yours, ensuring continuity, compliance and clarity across the product lifecycle.

Learn more about the skills shortage and how Plexus can help you drive innovation.

Outsourcing defence product development: Choose the right partner to overcome these challenges.

We’ve strategically located our engineering and manufacturing facilities across key regions to help customers respond quickly to evolving programme needs and regional compliance requirements. Whether you need a UK-based solution to support the Ministry of Defence or a European facility to meet “Buy European” procurement rules, Plexus is ready.

In Scotland, our Livingston site is home to rapid prototyping and design expertise, while Kelso supports new product introduction (NPI), manufacturing and sustaining services. For customers seeking an EU-based solution, our Oradea site in Romania offers scalable production capacity, localised sustaining services and test development engineering capabilities to accelerate time to market. Together, these sites enable us to deliver fast, flexible and locally compliant solutions across the UK and EU.

We tailor our approach to meet the specific needs of each programme, aligning closely with customer priorities to support the successful delivery of complex products in highly regulated markets. As part of a global team of more than 20,000 employees, our European sites are backed by global systems, robust quality frameworks and a culture of precision and accountability. We’ll get you to market on time, with the right support and regional readiness to match your programme requirements.