INTEGRATING UNCREWED & AUTONOMOUS
SYSTEMS ACROSS THE BATTLESPACE
3 - 4 December 2025
| Copthorne Tara Hotel London Kensington, London, United Kingdom
Agenda Day 1
UXS IN THE EVOLVING THREAT CONTEXT
8:40 am - 8:55 am
CHAIRMAN'S OPENING REMARKS
Major General (Ret'd) James Illingworth -
Former Director of Land Warfare,
British Army
8:55 am - 9:00 am
WELCOME ADRESS: MILREM ROBOTICS
9:00 am - 9:30 am
STRENGTHENING UK DEFENCE READINESS THROUGH UXS
James Gavin -
UKDI Deputy Director, Head Technology Transition,
DE&S
• Accelerating capability development through agile procurement and experimentation
• Working with industry, SMEs and international allies to co-develop scalable uncrewed solutions
• Current capability gaps
9:30 am - 10:00 am
STRATEGIC INSIGHTS INTO AUSTRIAN INVESTMENT INTO AUTONOMOUS TECHNOLOGY
Brigadier General Michael B. Janisch -
Director, Armaments and Defence Technology Agency,
Austrian Armed Forces
• The European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI)
• Investment into UAV’S and UGV’s
• Challenges and ambitions for the future
Brigadier General Michael B. Janisch
Director, Armaments and Defence Technology AgencyAustrian Armed Forces
10:00 am - 10:30 am
THE CONTEMPORARY CONTEXT FOR UXS
Dr Jack Watling *subject to final confirmation -
Senior Research Fellow, Land Warfare,
RUSI
• Developing concepts of operation
• Assessments of the future operating environment
• Operational analysis of contemporary conflicts
10:30 am - 11:00 am
MORNING COFFEE AND NETWORKING BREAK
UGV AND UAS CAPABILITY GAPS
11:00 am - 11:30 am
ADVANCING FRENCH CAPABILITIES IN AUTONOMOUS WEAPONS
Lieutenant Colonel Pierre Casanova -
Autonomous Weapons Systems Capacity Officer,
French Army HQ
• Current programmes
• Ensuring trust and the ethical use of autonomous weapons
• Challenges facing the effective integration and use of these systems
Lieutenant Colonel Pierre Casanova
Autonomous Weapons Systems Capacity OfficerFrench Army HQ
11:30 am - 12:00 pm
DEVELOPING FUTURE-PROOF UAS CAPABILITIES: ESTONIAN PERSPECTIVE
Arbo Probal -
UxS and C-UxS Program Manager, Force Transformation Command,
Estonian Defence Forces
• Transforming defence through UAS development and implementation
• Information sharing in a UAS-enabled battlespace
• Identifying and bridging capability caps
Arbo Probal
UxS and C-UxS Program Manager, Force Transformation CommandEstonian Defence Forces
12:00 pm - 12:30 pm
ADVANCING UNCREWED GROUND VEHICLE CAPABILITIES
Colonel James Howard -
Commander, Experimentation and Trials Group (ETG),
British Army
• Updates on Heavy Uncrewed Ground Vehicle trials
• Integration of AI into UGVs
• Current capability gaps and proposed solutions
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
LUNCH AND NETWORKING BREAK
UAV STRATEGY ALIGNING WITH THE FUTURE OPERATION ENVIRONMENT
1:30 pm - 2:00 pm
US ARMY DEVELOPMENTS IN UNCREWED AND AUTONOMOUS WARFARE
Colonel Kevin Easter -
Deputy Director, Army Aviation,
US Army
Colonel Brian Merkl - Unmanned Systems Division Chief, US Army
• Increasing investment
• Operational Integration to enable persistent surveillance and multi-domain operations
• Next-Gen capabilities to develop AI-enabled control systems to enhance battlefield agility and reduce human risk
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
INDUSTRY LEADERS PANEL DISCUSSION: SYSTEM OF SYSTEMS, AUTONOMY & THREATN DRIVE INNOVATION
As Uncrewed & Autonomous Systems transition from concept to deployment, defence forces and industry leaders are gaining critical insights regarding their integration into operational fleets, through system of systems technology. This panel explores SoS technology is transforming the capabilities of these systems, within the multi domain network, and what developments are needed for the future operating force.
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How are UGVs and UAVs being integrated into system of systems architectures to enable coordinated, multi-domain autonomous operations?
What innovations are enabling autonomous systems to function effectively in GPS-denied, electronically contested, or cyber-threatened environments?
How is edge AI transforming the autonomy and decision-making capabilities of distributed uncrewed systems in real time operational scenarios?
What role do modular open systems architectures play in accelerating capability integration across heterogeneous autonomous platforms?
How can we ensure secure, resilient, and scalable communications between autonomous systems operating in dynamic and adversarial environments?
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
AFTERNOON AND NETWORKING BREAK
THE FUTURE OF INTEGRATED AUTONOMY
3:30 pm - 4:00 pm
SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT AND INTEGRATION OF RAS TECHNOLOGY
Mr Nicholas Valentine -
Lead Engineer - Human Machine Teaming Future Capabilities Group,
DE&S - UK MOD
• Overview of current programmes
• Challenges delivering technologies at scale to the armed forces
• Pathway implement what was set out in the STR
Mr Nicholas Valentine
Lead Engineer - Human Machine Teaming Future Capabilities GroupDE&S - UK MOD
4:00 pm - 4:30 pm
THE INTEGRATION OF UXS INTO THE LONG TERM PERSPECTIVE FOR DEFENCE 2035
Colonel Jan Mazal -
Head of the Military Robotics Department, Faculty of Military Technology,
Czech Defense University
• Long term perspective for defence 2035 progress update
• AI, robotics, and autonomous systems as part of the ReArm Europe Plan
• Insights into the Taros project
Colonel Jan Mazal
Head of the Military Robotics Department, Faculty of Military TechnologyCzech Defense University
