Crazy Town co-organized and facilitated the NATO Innovation Range Technical Demonstration for the Eastern Flank Deterrence Line (EFDL) for NATO LANDCOM with Defence Innovation Network Finland (DEFINE) on December 8-10, 2025.
The event enabled defence technology companies from allied nations to demonstrate and test solutions directly with NATO stakeholders and allied armed forces in realistic, multi-domain conditions.
Starting point of the innovation event
NATO needed a concrete way to test emerging defence technologies in environments that reflect real operational conditions, with a strong focus on interoperability, data flows, and mission assurance. Finland, through the DEFINE ecosystem, provided a credible environment for bringing together NATO entities, industry, and technology providers.
Crazy Town’s role was to help design, coordinate, and operate a process that could handle complex, multi-location demonstrations and a wide set of stakeholders.
Who were involved?
- Organizers: Defence Innovation Network Finland (DEFINE) together with Crazy Town, RAIN.global and Lionsight
- NATO entities:
- NATO Allied Land Command (LANDCOM)
- NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT)
- NATO Defence Industry, Innovation and Armaments (D2IA) Division
- National partners:
- Ministry of Defence of Finland
- Finnish Defence Forces
- Industry representatives, including Nokia, Telia, Patria, Millog and VTT
- Participants: 17 defence technology companies from 10 allied nations and Ukraine
- Guests: ~200 defence, industry, research, and ecosystem stakeholders
Co-organization and facilitation of the event
We organized a call for defence technology companies across NATO alliance and Ukraine, receiving more than +80 applications. 17 were selected for a three-day demonstration event held in Finland. Event was planned together with NATO and Finnish partners.
The focus areas included:
- Resilient and secure connectivity
- AI-enhanced decision support
- Next-generation communication technologies (5G/6G)
- Mission assurance in extreme and contested conditions
Testing environments were built specifically for the event by Crazy Town and its co-organizers. UAV and UGV operations were conducted at a nearby airfield, while the DEFINE Hub acted as a central data and coordination point. Live data streams were received from multiple sources, including maritime drones operating in UK, high-altitude airships in Eastern Finland, and satellite systems.
Crazy Town facilitated the overall process, ensured smooth coordination between partners, supported participating companies, and hosted stakeholder interaction on site. Crazy Town was also embedded with evaluation of the solutions with armed forces representatives.
Results?
- Direct engagement between NATO entities and defence technology providers
- Testing of interoperability, data handling, and operational usability
- New social capital and connections between companies, public actors, and industry partners
- Recognition by NATO for Crazy Town member company Kelluu, whose airship-based solution was acknowledged in the Mission Assurance in Extreme Conditions category
- Event implemented from start to finish in less than three months
Lessions learned
- Interoperability, data quality, and scalability matter more than individual platforms
- Defence companies must validate solutions against current and near-future operational requirements, including real deployment contexts
- Despite the domain, innovation work relies on the same fundamentals: trust, collaboration, and structured facilitation
Our services for innovation ecosystems
If you are working with:
- Defence or dual-use technologies
- Complex innovation challenges involving multiple stakeholders
- Demonstrations, hackathons, or large-scale testing environments
Crazy Town designs and operates process-driven innovation formats that connect companies, public actors, and end users in realistic settings.
Get in touch with us to explore how similar approaches can be applied in your domain – or in defence and dual use: Mikko Korpela, mikko.korpela@crazytown.fi
Article photos by Juho Haavisto and Joonas Ylänne
