Strategic Bottlenecks in Electro-Optical and SAR Supply Chains
The strategic environment of European defence is entering a phase in which space-based intelligence has become a structural requirement rather than a technical enhancement. The rapid shift toward electro-optical and SAR constellations reflects a broader realignment: NATO and EU planners now treat orbital sensing as the backbone of situational awareness, operational autonomy and crisis responsiveness. Recent conflicts exposed how fragile this backbone remains, revealing gaps in imaging capacity, dependencies in upstream supply chains and constraints in launch, processing and exploitation. What emerges is a picture of an Allied system that understands the scale of the challenge and is beginning to reshape doctrine, investment and industrial policy around it. For professionals who operate where security, industry and technology converge, grasping these pressures is increasingly essential. They shape procurement trajectories, influence market positioning and determine how fast Europe can build the strategic autonomy it now openly seeks in space-based ISR. The following analysis examines these dynamics with precision and depth, offering a clear view of the bottlenecks, incentives and structural choices that will define Europe’s defence architecture over the decade ahead.