The testing events are taking place in Riihimäki, Turku, Oulu and Joensuu from 1 to 10 June 2026. Their purpose is to test innovative solutions for detecting and destroying UAS, as well as next-generation communications and data transfer technologies.
The series is led by Allied Command Transformation. Practical implementation is being handled by the Digital Defence Ecosystem, the Defence Innovation Network, the Borderland Europe Project, Business Joensuu, Business Oulu and Business Turku.
The Digital Defence Ecosystem is a network of Finnish defence and technology companies and research institutes. DEFINE is a Finnish defence and security innovation network, while Finland’s Ministry of Defence is the authority responsible for the test events.
The Finnish Defence Forces are providing operational expertise. Their role includes specifying scenarios and situations for testing so that the experiments meet military needs and reflect current challenges.
The Defence Forces are also observing the experiments on site. They are assessing the usability of different solutions tested during the events.
The Finnish Defence Forces said development and innovation are being pursued both within NATO and national networks. Results from international experiments feed into the Defence Forces’ wider innovation activity.
That activity involves broad cooperation with businesses, research agencies and other actors. The aim is to enable rapid assessment and further development of the most promising solutions.
The Defence Forces said innovations are becoming increasingly important for warfare. Technological developments, rapid changes in operating environments and recent war experience have shown that even a small technological edge can have a major impact.
Finland’s Defence Forces have recently increased their focus on innovation. They began coordinating innovation activity at the start of 2026.
The new effort brings together operational needs and actors with the skills to address them. It is intended to enable agile experimentation and the implementation of the most promising technologies.
The innovation scheme complements traditional long-term capability development. It provides a faster route for evaluating new technologies.
The Finnish Defence Forces said international testing events such as LCI-X are an important part of that scheme. They bring together multinational efforts and expertise while offering a realistic testing opportunity.
