Swindon defence networking event at STEAM sells out

Defence sector businesses gathered at STEAM, the Museum of the Great Western Railway in Swindon, on Friday 24 April 2026 for a sold-out networking event. Swindon24 reported on it the following day.

The Swindon Defence Networking and Insights event was organised by SDO Associates. Those attending ranged from sole traders and very small firms to large defence contractors. Stark was the gold sponsor, with Tekever, Digital Manufacturing Centre and Influence PR also named as industry partners.

What was it about?

Investment in uncrewed systems and advanced manufacturing was the central theme. FlyBy Technology, ICOMAT, MyDefence and Neros were named as part of a growing cluster of companies in and around Swindon, and the event formed part of a wider effort to build an uncrewed systems network across Swindon and Wiltshire.

Stu Olden, chief executive of SDO Associates, said the aim was "creating a sustainable ecosystem that is ready to support the delivery of UK defence capability". He said the UK needed to scale up skills, manufacturing and collaboration quickly.

Mike Armstrong, managing director of Stark UK, said: "The international security environment is deteriorating, and recent conflicts have shown how quickly technology is evolving".

What did the council say?

Councillor Jim Robbins, leader of Swindon Borough Council, said it was "great to see the MOD speakers talking about the upcoming opportunities here". He welcomed companies that were considering investing in what was described as Swindon's emerging drone cluster.

Source: Swindon24.