Exclusive: NATO reveals next steps for NATO Engine platform

NATO plans to launch its ‘NATO Engine’ platform in January in a bid to rapidly scale production, Nikos Loutas Director of Innovation at NATO’s Defence Industry, Innovation and Armaments Division, told DSEI Gateway.

Prior to this, the alliance plans to issue a request for information (RFI) to SMEs, including startups, “in the next couple of months” to bring interested companies on board and help refine the platform, Loutas told DSEI Gateway at the Apex Europe conference in London on 7 October.

What is the NATO Engine?

The platform, managed by NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency, aims to connect available factory capacity across the alliance with smaller companies looking to scale and accelerate their technologies.

It is essentially a “network where providers of manufacturing capacity… can help [other] companies industrialise their solutions,” Loutas said.

The SME RFI follows one issued over the summer to gauge interest among companies with manufacturing capacity. NATO received more than 1,100 responses, reflecting “immense” interest, with 80% coming from the civilian sector, Loutas said.

Once the platform is live, more companies and manufacturers will be able to register their interest in joining the initiative, he said.

The NATO Engine was launched at the NATO Summit in Ankara in July this year to address the need to scale production and industrial capacity across the alliance.

It follows the launch of the Rapid Adoption Action Plan, agreed at the NATO Summit in The Hague in June 2025, which aims to speed up the adoption of new technologies for member states.