At this year’s EMVA Business Conference in Rome, Leon van Rooijen, Business Development Director for Global Security at Teledyne Adimec, delivered a compelling and personal presentation that addressed the shifting role of imaging technology in global defence. Far from a product pitch, van Rooijen’s talk laid bare the moral and strategic crossroads faced by the European machine vision industry in a rapidly destabilizing world.
Van Rooijen opened by acknowledging the unusual nature of his presentation. “This is actually the first time I give this kind of presentation,” he admitted. “It was specifically made for this conference. So please bear with me.” What followed was a passionate call to reframe the industry’s relationship with defence—not as a market opportunity, but as a responsibility.
From Commercial Precision to National Security
Teledyne Adimec, known for high-performance cameras in fields such as semiconductors, healthcare, and industrial inspection, has expanded its mission under the umbrella of Teledyne Technologies. With Adimec now integrated into a broader defense and aerospace conglomerate, van Rooijen finds himself uniquely positioned at the intersection of advanced imaging and strategic security.
“Our cameras are known for high resolution, high frame rates, and customization,” he explained, adding that these same strengths now serve intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) systems. “We provide reliable imagery—not weapons-grade hardware—but critical intelligence that enhances decision-making in the field.”
A New Geopolitical Reality
Van Rooijen’s central message was clear: Europe is in the midst of a paradigm shift. “We’re living in a different world right now. Maybe we were naive,” he said, referencing both the ongoing war in Ukraine and the broader geopolitical instability. “It’s not just an opportunity for the defense industry—it’s a necessity. We need them, and they need us.”
He noted that the traditionally slow-moving defense sector—once dominated by legacy contractors or “dinosaurs”—is now being upended by nimble startups and fast innovation cycles. “Disruptive technologies like loitering munitions and autonomous drones are changing the battlefield. These are not five-year development projects—they are built, deployed, and refined in months.”
Cameras as Catalysts of Change
Imaging is at the heart of this transformation. Van Rooijen illustrated how cameras, from short-wave infrared to advanced visible spectrum sensors, are now integral to almost every modern defense system. He displayed systems used in the Ukraine conflict, highlighting how many rely on imaging technologies for both offensive and defensive operations.
“Our systems are part of what’s called the innovation space,” he said. “Reconnaissance, loitering munitions, UGVs—all of them rely on cameras.”
Europe’s Responsibility in a Fracturing Supply Chain
Van Rooijen emphasized a growing concern among European governments: the fragility and foreign dependence of critical technology supply chains. “There’s increasing unease about using components from adversarial states. We’ve seen systems shipped with ‘kill switches’—we cannot allow that level of vulnerability.”
This underscores the urgency for a sovereign European defense technology base—an effort in which machine vision companies must play a proactive role.
From Brainport to Battlefront
Drawing from his roots near ASML in the Netherlands, van Rooijen described the Dutch government’s evolving approach to national defense strategy. “We don’t have a huge defense industry, but we have the ecosystem,” he said, referencing local initiatives such as Brainport and BOM. These groups are now helping SMEs align with defense needs, developing technology roadmaps and overseeing innovation funds.
The Call to Industry: Step Forward, Responsibly
Van Rooijen concluded with a challenge to his audience: “This is not just a market to exploit. It’s a sector where we, as an industry, have a duty to contribute. Innovation, modularity, AI, resilience in supply chains—all of these are where our strengths align with defense needs.”
His final words captured the tone of the entire talk: “We overestimate what we can do with AI now—but we underestimate what we’ll do with it in the future. We must prepare for that future. Responsibly.”
With the industry watching and listening, van Rooijen’s presentation may prove to be a turning point in how Europe’s vision tech sees its role in a troubled world.
