Fact Sheet: Expansion of Defence Technology Partnerships at Singapore Airshow 2026

This year’s Singapore Airshow saw the inaugural Defence Industry Day with Italy and Japan. Organised by MINDEF in partnership with the Ministry of Defence of the Italian Republic and Japan Ministry of Defense, the Defence Industry Day brought together 200 leaders from the government, industry and research community to share insights on emerging defence technologies and facilitate defence industry collaborations.

Held on 4 and 5 February 2026, the Singapore−Italy Defence Industry Day and Singapore−Japan Defence Industry Day connected start-ups, SMEs and defence stakeholders to showcase innovative technologies and to share defence technology solutions to common operational challenges.

At the start of the Singapore−Italy Defence Industry Day, MINDEF and ITAMoD signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) on Supply Chain Resiliency and Research and Development. Signed by Mr. Melvyn Ong, MINDEF’s Permanent Secretary (Defence Development), and Vice-Admiral Giacinto Ottaviani, Italy’s National Armaments Director, the LOI reaffirms both countries’ commitment to strengthen supply chains and collaborate in research and development to enhance defence readiness.  

In addition, MINDEF and the Republic of Korea Ministry of National Defense signed the second Information Exchange Agreement (IEA) in the field of Chemical and Biological Defence on 4 February 2026. The IEA was signed by the co-chairs of the Singapore-Republic of Korea Joint Steering Committee on Defence Technology Cooperation, Mr Cheong Chee Hoo, Chief Executive Officer of DSO National Laboratories for Singapore, and Mr Han Kyungsoo, Director General of the Defense Technology Policy & Security Bureau, Defense Acquisition Program Administration, Republic of Korea.

The IEA enables the mutual exchange of information and undertaking of open discussions in the domain of Chemical and Biological Defence. The agreement is the second of such IEAs in Chemical and Biological Defence between both countries. The establishment of the IEA reaffirms the mutual commitment to build on the growing defence technology cooperation between Singapore and the Republic of Korea.

These expanded collaborations build on MINDEF’s Defence Technology Strategy anchored on three qualities A-I-R — Agile in adopting novel technologies for military operations, Innovative in adapting and experimenting with novel concepts of operations, and Resilient by strengthening the defence industrial base and supply chains.  

MINDEF’s Permanent Secretary (Defence Development) Mr Melvyn Ong said, “Our focus is simple: trusted partnerships, reliable capabilities, and resilience where it counts. Singapore’s approach to partnerships has always been practical and long-term. Events like the Singapore Airshow allow the defence and defence technology community to deepen existing partnerships, form new ones, and strengthen the innovativeness and resilience of our defence industrial base.”