No. 14. Small Teams. Huge Impact. Europe’s Defence Runs on 20-Person Companies.
Europe doesn’t run out of ideas.It runs out of small companies that can deliver them.I meet SMEs with:12 peopletwo CNC machinesone quality engineerand decades of know-howAnd they produce components that:keep aircraft flyingkeep systems operationalkeep export programs alivekeep OEMs on scheduleHere’s the reality:More than 50% of critical defence components in Europe come from companies with fewer than 50 employees.They are invisible.But without them, nothing moves.Europe’s industrial autonomy begins in workshops that never make the news.
