Airspace security will be the focus of this year’s Flaming Shield, the defence innovation hackathon organised for the fourth time by the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union (LŠS) and Tech-Park Kaunas. This year’s strategic mission: Defend the Sky.
Defend the Sky – the 2026 Mission
Hackathon participants will develop solutions across eight thematic tracks related to the detection, identification and classification of aerial objects, the integration of artificial intelligence, data management, and resilient communication systems. Attention will also be given to civil protection and dual-use solutions for critical infrastructure.
According to Colonel Linas Idzelis, Commander of the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union, the role of technology in modern conflicts is fundamentally changing how defence must be prepared for.
“We see very clear trends in countries at war – advanced technology has long since become a primary weapon. That is why this year’s hackathon sets participants a central goal: a secure sky. We are bringing together the brightest minds, innovators and defence experts to take strong first steps in developing new unmanned systems, their detection systems and robotics – covering the full spectrum, from sea and land to space,” says Col. Linas Idzelis, Commander of the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union.
The experience of the three previous hackathons shows that Flaming Shield has become not only a venue for intensive technology development, but also a meeting point for different participants in the defence innovation ecosystem. Teams are supported by dozens of mentors and specialists, can present their ideas to potential investors and partners, and the most promising solutions have the opportunity to continue development after the hackathon ends.
Tech-Park Kaunas director Paulius Nezabitauskas stresses that today it is especially important to shorten the path from a technological idea to its testing under real conditions – and to bring together, in one place, developers, the defence sector, investors and the public sector.
“Air defence is no longer an abstract subject from news about other countries – it has become an everyday reality that every region of Lithuania has faced this year. Business and science have the technological potential to respond quickly to such challenges, but they often lack the space where an idea can become a working prototype within days, and then a proven solution. The hackathon’s value lies not only in the prototypes it produces, but in the connections it builds between developers, the military, investors and the public sector – connections formed here in three days rather than months,” says P. Nezabitauskas.
Three Days – From Problem to Prototype
Flaming Shield will open on October 9 with the Tech Demo Day event, where representatives of the defence, technology and public sectors, together with international experts, will discuss the most pressing airspace security challenges, opportunities for startups and small companies in the European defence market, and investment in defence innovation.
On October 10–11, teams will move into an intensive 48-hour working period – from a chosen challenge and initial idea through to a prototype and its final presentation to a panel of experts.
Running in parallel is Cyber Arena – a cybersecurity competition organised by the LŠS cybersecurity unit “Lizdeika” together with the National Cyber Security Centre (NKSC). Professionals and advanced enthusiasts will compete across three disciplines: Capture the Flag, Bug Bounty and King of the Hill.
In the classic CTF track, participants will tackle cryptography, web vulnerability, reverse engineering and other tasks. In the Bug Bounty track, they will search for vulnerabilities in real, live organisational systems, while in King of the Hill, teams will need to seize control of systems in real time – and hold on to it for as long as possible.
Not Just Prizes – A Path to Grow the Idea Further
Participants will develop solutions across eight thematic tracks – from the detection and classification of aerial objects and the development of drones and robotics, to data fusion and command-and-control (C2) systems, resilient communications, threat neutralisation, and cyber- and space-layer as well as civil protection solutions. Challenges were submitted, and prizes established, by companies of strategic importance to Lithuania – among them the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (ALTRA), the Lithuanian Defence and Security Industry Association, the Lithuanian Naval Force, and others.
The hackathon’s total prize fund exceeds €15,000, and among the event’s sponsors and partners are well-known Lithuanian technology companies Omnisend, Oxylabs, Surfshark and others. Vinted, meanwhile, will award prizes to the best-performing participants and teams in the Cyber Arena track.
But cash prizes are only one of the opportunities on offer. In 2025, the strongest hackathon teams were able to compete for an invitation from venture capital fund Coinvest Capital to negotiate investments of up to €750,000 – and the investment firm will again be seeking promising teams at this year’s event.
“Coinvest Capital was the first in the region to start investing in defence technologies, so today we see with particular clarity how important every timely local innovation is. Our key priority is to support and invest in the local defence innovation industry and the development of its capabilities: only by nurturing and strengthening technologies developed in Lithuania can we ensure the country’s genuine resilience. That is why, once again, at the Flaming Shield hackathon we will be looking for the strongest teams ready to turn these ideas into working solutions,” says Coinvest Capital CEO Viktorija Trimbel.
The hackathon also opens a path for participants into the wider European and NATO defence innovation ecosystem – NATO DIANA (the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic), the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS), and the Nordic-Baltic initiative ODIN.
From Hackathon to Million-Euro Investment
Flaming Shield has been held since 2023 and will take place this year for the fourth time. Previous editions have shown that an idea born during a few intensive days of work can go on to have a life beyond the event itself. At the 2024 hackathon, solutions developed included FPV-drone-based technologies, among others, with a main prize fund of €45,000 awarded to the best teams. The 2025 edition grew into a broader cycle of defence innovation events, bringing together developers, startups, investors, and senior Lithuanian and international defence experts.
Hackathon alumni – Luna Robotics, Astrolight, Broswarm, PDKinematics, TD Autonomy and others – have already raised more than €7 million in investment.
The organisers’ goal is that this year, too, the prototypes built over 48 hours should not end with the presentation to the expert panel. The most promising teams will be able to pursue further investment, partners, technology-testing opportunities and additional paths to develop their solutions further.
Registration for the hackathon is open until October 1. The event will take place October 9–11 in Kaunas.
Event organisers – the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union and Tech-Park Kaunas.
Strategic partners – Omnisend and the Lithuanian Defence and Security Industry Association.
Cyber Arena main sponsor – Vinted.
Event partners – Coinvest Capital, Kaunas IN, Oxylabs, ILTE, Surfshark, Lemona, the Innovation Agency, Kaunas University of Technology, the National Cyber Security Centre, Kaunas University of Technology.
Media partner – DELFI’s “SAUGU” initiative.