The war in Ukraine has made drones a central battlefield weapon, and several European drone companies have gained value quickly, Postimees business journalist Sander Silm reported on 19 October 2026.
German defence-technology firm Helsing rose in value to $18 billion this year. Quantum Systems is worth about €7 billion. Estonian retail investors cannot buy either company's shares because neither is listed. The report says there are still ways to take part in the drone boom.
Defence-industry money is no longer following its usual route. Shares of classic weapons makers have stumbled, while much of the fresh capital is going into drones, radars and sensor technology, often through off-exchange deals that ordinary investors cannot access.
New counter-drone companies and fast-growing electronics manufacturers have also appeared on European stock exchanges. The article asks which opportunities and pitfalls that sensor- and software-centred defence market opens for a small investor, without naming those listed firms in the available text.
Source: majandus.postimees.ee
Estonian retail investors · European drone boom · Helsing valuation · Quantum Systems · defence sensor technology · unlisted defence shares