Tuesday, 8 December 2026

18:00
Welcome Reception

Wednesday, 9 December 2026

Day 1 — Operational Systems & Deployment

08:00 – 09:00
Registration and Coffee

08:50 – 09:00
Opening Remarks

 

09:00 – 10:30

Session 1: Directed Energy Systems and Operational Deployment
 

High-energy laser technologies are advancing rapidly from laboratory demonstrations toward operational capability across air, land and maritime platforms. However, transitioning these systems into deployable infrastructure requires more than technological maturity.

This session examines the system-level challenges associated with integrating directed energy capabilities into operational defense architectures. Topics include power generation, thermal management, beam control, targeting integration and platform constraints.

The discussion will also address the industrial ecosystem required to support deployment at scale, including manufacturing readiness, supply chain capability and the role of the broader photonics industry in enabling these systems. The session examines the technical, operational and industrial factors shaping the transition from demonstration systems to deployable operational capability.

10:30 – 11:15

Networking Break

11:15 – 12:45

Session 2: ISR, Remote Sensing and Optical Payloads for Air and Space Platforms

Electro-optical sensing systems play a central role in modern intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations. Advances in sensing technologies are increasing data volumes dramatically, creating new challenges in real-time analysis, decision support and integration into operational command systems.

This session explores the evolution of optical payloads for ISR missions, including high-resolution imaging, hyperspectral sensing, long-range detection and space-based observation systems.

Discussions will examine sensor architecture, platform integration and the increasing role of data processing and artificial intelligence in turning optical measurements into operational insight.

The session will also consider how advances in photonics are shaping the next generation of sensing capabilities for defense and space missions.

12:45 – 14:15

Lunch

14:15 – 15:45

Session 3: Autonomous Systems, Navigation and Positioning Across Air, Land, Sea and Space

Autonomous and semi-autonomous platforms are becoming increasingly important across defense and aerospace operations. These systems include unmanned aerial, ground and maritime vehicles as well as crewed platforms supported by advanced sensing and navigation technologies to operate reliably in complex and contested environments.

This session examines how photonic technologies enable perception, navigation and positioning for autonomous and semi-autonomous systems operating across air, land, sea and space domains.

Topics include optical sensing, lidar and machine vision, as well as photonics-based navigation technologies such as fiber-optic gyroscopes, optical inertial sensors, laser vibrometry and emerging quantum navigation systems.

Participants will examine how these technologies support resilient positioning, navigation and timing architectures in environments where GNSS signals may be degraded or unavailable, and how photonic sensing systems are integrated into operational platforms ranging from drones and robotic vehicles to crewed aircraft and maritime systems.

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15:45 – 16:30

Networking Break

16:30 – 18:00

Session 4: Industrialization, Materials and Secure Photonics Supply Chains for Defense and Space

As photonic technologies transition from research and prototype systems into operational defense and space platforms, the ability to manufacture components reliably and at scale becomes a critical challenge. At the same time, supply chain security and component resilience are increasingly central to national defense strategies.

This session examines the industrial foundations required to support defense and aerospace systems that depend on advanced photonic technologies. Discussions will address manufacturing scale-up, trusted supplier networks, component traceability and the resilience of photonic supply chains across allied and trusted industrial networks.

The session will also explore the performance of photonic components in harsh operational environments, including exposure to radiation, extreme temperatures, vibration and mechanical stress encountered in aerospace and defense platforms.

Discussion will focus on how the photonics industry can strengthen production capacity, ensure supply security and develop components capable of meeting the reliability standards required for long-term deployment in demanding operational conditions.

 

19:00 – 22:00

Executive Reception

Thursday, 10 December 2026

Day 2 — Space Infrastructure & Strategic Architecture

08:00 – 09:00
Registration and Coffee

09:00 – 10:30

Session 5: Satellite Systems and Secure Optical and Quantum Communications

Focus: optical inter-satellite links, secure communications and space network infrastructure.

Space-based communication systems are becoming critical infrastructure for defense and aerospace operations. Optical communication technologies enable high-capacity data transmission, resilient connectivity, and enhanced security for space and ground networks supporting intelligence, surveillance, navigation, and operational coordination.

This session examines the role of photonic technologies in enabling next-generation satellite communication architectures, including optical terminals, inter-satellite links, and secure ground-to-space communication systems.

Topics include secure optical communications, quantum communication technologies, and the integration of optical links within hybrid RF–optical satellite networks designed to improve resilience, bandwidth, and protection against interception and interference.

Participants will examine the technical and operational challenges of deploying optical communication infrastructure in space environments, as well as the role of these technologies in enabling secure, high-performance communication networks for future defense and aerospace systems.

10:30 – 11:15

Networking Break

11:15 – 12:45

Session 6: Industrial Strategy, Sovereign Capability and TRL Acceleration

The deployment of advanced photonic technologies in defense and aerospace systems increasingly depends on industrial strategy, procurement frameworks and national technological capabilities. Ensuring that critical photonic components and systems can be developed, manufactured and integrated within trusted industrial ecosystems has become a strategic priority for governments and industry alike.

This session addresses how industrial policy, procurement mechanisms and collaborative partnerships influence the transition of photonic technologies from research environments into operational defense and aerospace programs. Particular attention will be given to the challenges of advancing technology readiness levels (TRL), qualification processes and the alignment of innovation timelines with long-term defense and space programs.

The session also focuses on how governments, system integrators and technology providers can strengthen sovereign and allied photonics capabilities across defense and aerospace supply chains, accelerate technology transition and ensure that critical sensing, communication and navigation technologies can be deployed reliably within future defense and aerospace systems.

12:45 – 14:15

Lunch

14:15 – 15:45

Session 7: Dual-Use Photonics and Technology Transition Across Commercial, Defense and Aerospace Systems

Photonics technologies increasingly evolve across interconnected commercial, defense and aerospace innovation ecosystems. Many capabilities originally developed for defense or space applications later find widespread commercial adoption, while emerging technologies from telecommunications, semiconductor manufacturing and autonomous systems are now shaping the next generation of aerospace and defense capabilities.

However, transferring technologies between these domains is rarely straightforward. Differences in development timelines, qualification standards, reliability requirements and procurement frameworks often create barriers between commercial innovation and operational deployment in defense and aerospace platforms.

This session examines how photonic technologies transition across these ecosystems. Discussions will explore technology maturation pathways, partnerships between startups, system integrators, defense programs, and space organizations, and the mechanisms that enable emerging capabilities to move from laboratory demonstrations and commercial prototypes into operational aerospace and defense systems.

Participants will also examine how closer collaboration between industry, government and research institutions can accelerate the development and deployment of photonic technologies across commercial markets, defense capabilities and space infrastructure.

 

15:45 – 16:30

Networking Break

16:30 – 17:30

Session 8: Multi-Domain Operations and Integrated Command Architectures

 

Modern defense and aerospace operations increasingly depend on the ability to integrate sensing, communications and decision systems across air, land, sea and space. Achieving this level of coordination requires resilient sensing networks, high-capacity communications infrastructure and the ability to move and process information across multiple operational platforms in real time.

Photonic technologies are becoming foundational to these architectures. Optical sensing systems, high-bandwidth communication links, precision timing and navigation technologies, and distributed sensor networks enable the flow of information required to support coordinated multi-domain operations.

This session addresses how photonic technologies support the sensing, communication and data architectures required for integrated command environments. It focuses on the role of optical sensing networks, resilient communications infrastructure and high-performance data links in enabling coordinated operations across complex defense and aerospace systems.

The discussion will also consider how advances in sensing, communications and navigation technologies contribute to the development of operational architectures capable of integrating platforms, sensors and decision systems across multiple domains.

As the closing session of the summit, this discussion connects the operational capabilities, industrial requirements and technology developments addressed throughout the program, highlighting the role of photonics in enabling the next generation of defense and aerospace systems.