June 30, 2026
Welcome to the June 2026 edition of Vikela Armour’s monthly technology & business development newsletter. June has been another exciting month, with continued progress across innovation, collaboration and business growth. We’ve been pleased to take part in a number of industry programmes and events, strengthen new partnerships, and invest in developing the next generation of engineering talent. As always, we’d like to thank our customers, partners and supporters for their continued support, and we hope you enjoy catching up on our latest news and updates.
Digital Twin Accelerator: Final Showcase, with Digital Catapult
We’re proud to have taken part in the Digital Catapult Digital Twin Adoption Accelerator and to have showcased our collaborative project alongside BMT at the programmes showcase.
Working closely with the team at BMT, we’ve been developing a Digital Twin for Vikela’s Armour Systems and testing processes, exploring how advanced modelling and simulation can help accelerate the design and development of body armour. By reducing the need for physical prototypes and enabling faster design iterations, digital twin technology has the potential to transform how next-generation protective equipment is developed.
The programme has been a fantastic opportunity to collaborate with experts in digital engineering, share knowledge, and demonstrate how innovative technologies can solve real-world challenges across the defence sector.
A huge thank you to the teams at Digital Catapult, the UK Digital Twin Centre, and BMT for their support throughout the programme. A special thanks you to Ross Blair, Alexander McKee and Jack Matthews at BMT for helping drive the project forward.
Congratulations to all of the organisations that showcased their projects, we’re excited to see how these innovations continue to shape the future of UK industry.
Vikela Joins the STAC Scale Programme
We’re delighted to announce that Vikela has been selected to join the STAC Scale Programme, an industry-led 18-month accelerator designed to help innovative technology companies build, scale and achieve international success through expert mentorship and strategic business support.
This month, our team travelled to Glasgow to attend the programme introduction and first workshop, where we had the opportunity to meet the STAC team, connect with the other cohort members, and begin working alongside our seven dedicated mentors. It was an inspiring start, providing valuable insights into the journey ahead and reinforcing the exciting opportunities this programme offers.
We’re looking forward to collaborating with the STAC experts over the coming months as we continue to accelerate Vikela’s growth, strengthen our commercial strategy, and bring our innovative lightweight armour solutions to new markets.
International Engagement: Showcasing Vikela to the Defence Community
We were delighted to take part in the SME Showcase at the Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT), Queen’s University Belfast, engaging with Defence Attachés representing over 50 nations as part of the Ministry of Defence’s annual regional visit programme.
The showcase provided a fantastic opportunity to present Vikela’s innovative protective solutions, exchange ideas with representatives from Ministries of Defence around the world, and highlight the advanced manufacturing and engineering expertise being developed here in Northern Ireland.
Events like this play an important role in connecting innovative SMEs with key international defence stakeholders, creating opportunities for future collaboration and helping to showcase the strength of Northern Ireland’s defence and security sector on the global stage.
A big thank you to the Ministry of Defence, the Department for Business and Trade, CSIT and all the organisers for bringing together government, academia and industry for such a valuable event.
Other News
Supporting the Next Generation of Engineers
We were delighted to welcome two work experience students to Vikela during June from Wellington College and Belfast High School. Providing opportunities for young people to experience engineering and innovation first-hand is something we’re passionate about, and it was a pleasure to have them working alongside our team.
Throughout their time with us, they gained an insight into the creative thinking, problem-solving and engineering that goes into developing our lightweight protective solutions. We hope their experience has inspired them to consider future careers in engineering, design and advanced manufacturing.
We would like to thank both students for their enthusiasm and contribution during their placement, and we wish them every success with their exam results later this year and in whatever path they choose to pursue.
Thank you for reading our latest newsletter — we’re looking forward to bringing you more updates over the coming months.
As always, feel free to get in touch if you’d like to book a chat or have any questions. If you know someone we should be speaking to, we’d always appreciate an introduction.
Look out for our next newsletter at the end of July, and have a great month in the meantime.
The Vikela Team 👋
