“2025 might have been a hectic year for newcomers in the defence industry, for us, it was business as usual.” In a series of five posts, our specialists share trends and developments for 2026. This week, Business Developers Martijn Leijten from Hittech Group and Sander van der Laan from Hittech Landes share their views on the latest events in the aviation sector.
Sander van der Laan: “We have produced parts for leading aviation companies since Hittech Landes was founded 40 years ago, so we are well experienced as a contract manufacturer in the aviation and defence industry. Today, we manufacture parts and assemblies for fighter jets and helicopters. We also assemble door locking mechanisms for civil aviation. To work in this industry, you must be AS9100 certified, which, for instance, means that all materials and products must be traceable. At Hittech Landes, we are audited annually, and our quality management system is reviewed every three years. The review was completed in 2025, and we have a new certificate for the next three years.”
Martijn Leijten: “As a member of the NIDV – Nederlandse Industrie voor Defensie en Veiligheid, Hittech Group expanded its network in the defence sector by participating in the 36th edition of the NIDV Exhibition Defence and Security (NEDS) 2025. In addition to all the work being done at Hittech Landes for defence and aviation, we see growth in the market for air defence systems & subcomponents, as well as unmanned vehicles. As an international group of high-tech companies, we have explored how our Dutch and German entities can collectively enhance defence capabilities for NATO countries. This will be an important mission for us, and I suppose for many companies in 2026.”
For more information about the solutions and services we offer within Hittech Group, visit our Defence & Aviation landing page via this link https://hittech.com/defence-aerospace/ or contact Martijn Leijten or Sander van der Laan.
