What is the Battlefield of Things Hackathon 3?
The Battlefield of Things 3: Trench Electromagnetic Warfare (Trench EW) Hackathon is a two-and-a-half-day innovation event designed to bring Belgium Defence personnel together with industry experts, enthusiasts, students and researchers.
Together, participants will develop new and creative concepts to strengthen Belgium’s frontline EW capabilities, grounded in real operational needs identified by BELDEF units.
Whether you are an experienced EW specialist or simply interested in contributing to future capability development, this event offers a unique opportunity to engage in hands-on development, tackle real-world challenges, and help reinforce Belgian Defence’s EW posture.
The challenges
In modern warfare with its near-absolute battlefield transparency, the electromagnetic spectrum is just as critical as the physical terrain.
A unit’s survival is highly dependent on real-time radio frequency (RF) awareness: its ability to hide in the RF spectrum, to communicate successfully despite a messy, congested RF environment and active jamming, and to track the enemy.
This creates several distinct problems that need to be solved for each frontline squad: those are the challenges you’ll find below.
Experience shows that “Swiss army knife” solutions are not optimal. So, at this hackathon, we’re looking for optimal solutions to each of the challenges. And, we are not looking for sophistication: the solutions must be fast to develop, built from off-the-shelf components where possible, easy to use, and inexpensive to make.
Each challenge includes specific problems identified through workshops with Belgian Defence and industry experts, ensuring real-world impact.
EW Force Protection
As modern conflicts increasingly rely on electronic intelligence (ELINT), signals intelligence (SIGINT), and precision fires cued by electromagnetic emissions (EM), controlling the electromagnetic footprint of military units is essential.
Electromagnetic Force Protection encompasses the policies, technologies, and practices employed to reduce the electromagnetic (EM) vulnerability of deployed troops.
Challenge Success Conditions
- 2-way communication
- Distance: 5 km
- Obstacles: forest, weather (rain or snow)
- Bandwidth: better than the commercially available hardware
- Output: your choice
- Target cost (Aliexpress components): EUR 150 for the transmitter/receiver module
CLEVER HACK OPTION: use a phone, but without buying a SIM card and remaining fully anonymous (e.g. by switching IMEI and IMSI).
Test setup:
Soldier radio as a benchmark.
Challenge Success Conditions
Successfully “hide” medical equipment provided from EM observation at a 100-meter range
Test setup:
Coming soon
Counter-Jamming
Modern conflict has evolved into a battlespace where any RF emission becomes instantly detectable, classifiable, and targetable within tens of kilometres. This “Transparent Bubble” severely constrains frontline communications and complicates the suppression of enemy electronic warfare (EW) systems. Counter‑jamming, therefore, requires a combination of low‑signature communication, resilience against deception, and high‑precision geolocation to enable the neutralisation of adversary jammers.
Electromagnetic superiority increasingly depends on shrinking our own signatures while expanding our ability to pinpoint and degrade hostile emitters.
Challenge Success Conditions
- Focus on one or more of the three types of communication:
- Drone (analogue video)
- GNSS data
- Own radio communications
Test setup:
Coming soon
A single frontline unit can find a direction (azimuth) to a mobile or generator-powered jammer, but would struggle to determine the exact distance. How might we use low-cost tools to triangulate the location of antennas, signal sources, or power supplies with sufficient precision (within 20 meters) to facilitate a “hard kill” with artillery or loitering munitions?
Challenge Success Conditions
- Detecting and triangulating an antenna is a good start; identifying the soucre of jamming is better
- Distance for detection and triangulation: from 2 to 5 km
- Target cost (Aliexpress components): EUR 250
OPTION: suicide drone to directly strike the jammer (antenna), or to transmit coordinates for a hard kill
CLEVER HACK OPTION: Directional Counter-Jamming (using directive antennas to send signals directly back to the jammer to drown it out or confuse it), or Null-Steering: Adjusting antenna patterns to create a “null” in the direction of the jammer, effectively ignoring its signal
Test setup:
Coming soon
Detect & Intercept
With adversaries growing more adept at physical camouflage, extending sensing into the RF spectrum becomes critical.
Identifying enemy soldiers, jammers, radars, or drones in the immediate vicinity and being able to distinguish them from friendly personnel and assets based on the known signals is necessary.
Soldiers need to “see” threats or targets of opportunity — identifying specific drone profiles or jammer types — directly. How might we filter out background noise, ingest raw RF data, and notify soldiers of threats and targets in the surrounding area through a simple output (e.g. visual symbol, text, or sound alert) through TAK onto any mobile device (phone, smart watch, or headphones)?
Challenge Success Conditions
- Output: simple visualisation on a device of your choice (e.g. via TAK to phone or smart watch), a built-in LCD screen, or an audible alert (via headphones)
Test setup:
TAK server will be available
For example, recognising that a specific jammer activation as a precursor to a large-scale attack can be hugely valuable. How might we extract transmission metadata and use it to recognise patterns of enemy behaviour, moving from simple real-time tracking to predictive surveillance?
Challenge Success Conditions
Output: identified targets communicated via TAK to phone or smart watch
CLEVER HACK OPTION: identify a procedure that an enemy is utilising
Test setup:
Drone(s) and soldier radios producing transmissions
TAK server will be available
Sample data feed: TBC
Winning criteria
The Jury will evaluate all projects on these five criteria:
- Desirability (Does the solution directly address the problem and align with the scope of the relevant challenge? Does it offer a tangible difference?)?
- Viability (is there sound business logic behind the solution?)
- Feasibility (from a technical perspective, is it easy to implement? Does it rely on existing technology, or does it require significant development?)
- Creativity (novelty of approach)
- Elegance of the solution (simple yet effective)
Who can take part in the BoTH3?
Battlefield of Things 3: TEW is open to anyone interested in strengthening Belgium’s Trench EW capabilities. We welcome BELDEF personnel, industry experts, cybersecurity specialists, students, and hands-on technology enthusiasts to work and innovate together.
This includes Belgian Defence personnel ensuring solutions address real operational needs; industry partners and EW technology companies active in RF, SDR, sensing, cyber security, and electronic systems; cyber and software specialists working on spectrum awareness and secure communications; engineering and technology students from universities and colleges; and radio amateurs, makers, and spectrum enthusiasts bringing practical experience and creative problem-solving.
Not sure if BoTH3 is for you? Just reach out – we’d be happy to discuss.
Want to bring a team of friends or colleagues? Fantastic! Just make sure everyone registers individually, no more than 5 people from the same company can attend, and be ready to connect with new teammates along the way.
Battlefield of Things experience
The first two editions of the event was an absolute blast! Here is the short video from the event:
What to expect this year
You and your team will have 2.5 days to design, prototype, and showcase your innovative solutions. You’ll take part in ideation workshops, get unique insights from experts, and roll up your sleeves to push the boundaries of drone technology.
Bring your best ideas, sharpest problem-solving skills, and most persuasive pitching abilities—and get ready to impress the Jury!
A unique opportunity to collaborate with Belgian Defence
What makes Battlefield of Things 3 truly special is the direct involvement of Belgian Defence.
We aim to have at least one Belgian Defence expert in each team—highly motivated, innovation-driven professionals with first-hand operational insights. They will help you understand Belgian Defence’s needs, make sure your solution is grounded in the real world, and support you in presenting your project to the Jury.
Meet the Experts
A group of outstanding experts was at hand to share their knowledge, to fine-tune closing pitches, and to guide participants throughout the event. (List of experts and their biographies followed).
EXPERT
Major Koen Ceulemans
Major Koen Ceulemans is the Innovation Officer for the Belgian Defence Land Component, where he supports bottom-up innovation initiatives and connects industry with military end-users.
He joined Belgian Defence in 1999 after attending the Royal Military Academy and serving in the Paracommando’s with deployments in Africa and the Middle East.
Since 2020, he has promoted innovation within the Special Operations Regiment and now manages Belgian Defence’s “Innovation as a Service” contract.
Koen is passionate about technology, creativity, and fostering a culture of innovation within the military.
EXPERT
Ashwin De Taeye
Ashwin is a co-founder of EUnify, a defence tech startup building drone flight controllers and communication systems. He started out as a full-stack developer and PCB designer, with an early focus on (I)IoT systems. Before founding EUnify, Ashwin led R&D teams, bridging the gap between ideation and product development. The idea for EUnify grew out of his early experiences at hackathons, which confirmed his belief in the value of rapid prototyping and focused collaboration.
EXPERT
Frederik Wouters
Frederik Wouters is Head of Innovation at Dropsolid, where he focuses on applied innovation, AI, and open-source scalable digital platforms. He has a background in enterprise architecture and has led complex projects for organisations such as VRT, the National Bank of Belgium and the Flemish Government.
His expertise spans AI, distributed systems, and cloud-native architectures, with hands-on experience in Kubernetes, CI/CD, and rapid prototyping. He has guided multidisciplinary teams from early concept to production-ready systems, with a strong focus on feasibility under real-world constraints.
Frederik was also part of the winning team at the previous edition of Battlefield of Things, giving him direct insight into the pace, challenges, and expectations of the hackathon environment. At Battlefield of Things 3, he supports teams in validating ideas, refining system design, and aligning technical choices with operational impact in constrained and adversarial environments.
EXPERT
Quinten Boonen
Quinten is a senior officer in the Belgian Armed Forces and an engineer specialised in armoured vehicle systems and combat engineering equipment. Currently serving as Head of Desk MR Sys-L/S/E, he is responsible for the procurement and management of combat engineering equipment and unmanned ground vehicles, and represents Belgium in the OCCAR Engineer Capability Generation program.
With previous experience as a company commander leading 100 personnel in construction, NRBC and diving operations, he combines technical expertise with operational leadership. In addition to his military role, he serves as a visiting professor at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, where he teaches vehicle technology and internal combustion engines.
EXPERT
Anton Dovhobrod
Anton Dovhobrod is CEO of Skygor, a Belgian dual-use drone swarm orchestration company headquartered in Leuven.
Anton brings more than 20 years of software engineering experience, including senior technical leadership roles up to CTO, with products shipped across healthcare, media, IoT, and robotics. Of Ukrainian origin, he has led several technology volunteering projects in Ukraine, providing engineering and leadership support to civil and dual-use initiatives. He stays close to the architecture of uncrewed systems in demanding operating environments, focusing on continuous software delivery from prototype to fielded use.
A radio engineer and aeromodeller by background, Anton has worked with UAV electronics and RF-driven control systems long before they became his professional focus.
EXPERT
Cedric Genin
Cedric Genin is a Consulting Director at Sopra Steria Belgium with over 25 years of experience in IT consulting, digital transformation and public-sector delivery, with a current focus on European Institutions, Aerospace, Defence and Security.
He leads business consulting activities for public-sector and industrial customers in these domains, combining defence-sector positioning with strong business development expertise, including P&L ownership, sales strategy, presales, bid preparation, and technical-financial proposal validation.
He is also a member of Sopra Steria Group’s Defence & Security vertical management team and brings hands-on experience in cybersecurity, application development and mission-critical European information systems.
EXPERT
Belgian Defence RF Engineers
EXPERT
Belgian Defence EW Experts
EXPERT
Belgian Defence Medical Experts
Meet the Jury
Your work will be evaluated by experts, both military and civilian.
EXPERT JURY
Ingrid Willems
Ingrid Willems is CEO DataScouts, an entrepreneur, business analysts, sparring partner and strategist, building businesses and guiding organisations in their digital transformation, breaking down silos and leveraging data a company owns, generates or has access to.
Practicalities & FAQ
Where and when does the event take place?
Dates: May 22 – 24, 2026
Location: Commando Training Centre, Marche-les-Dames
Address: Rue Notre Dame du Vivier 30, 5024 Namur, Belgium
The event kicks off on Friday evening, 18:00, with challenge briefings and team formation, followed by two intense days of hacking.
Who can participate?
The event is open to industry professionals, Belgian Defence personnel, cybersecurity and software specialists, students, researchers, radio amateurs, hackers, makers, and spectrum enthusiasts. No prior hackathon experience is required — just bring your expertise, creativity, and problem-solving mindset!
How do I register?
Register individually via the form on this page.
If you already have a team, that’s great, just make sure everyone signs up separately. No more than 5 people from the same company can attend. If you don’t have a team yet, don’t worry! We’ll help you form one at the event.
Do I need to bring a challenge?
No! Challenges have already been defined in collaboration with Belgian Defence and industry experts. Your task is to come up with solutions during the event.
Do I need to bring equipment?
Bringing a laptop is strongly recommended. If your work involves hardware, you’re welcome to bring relevant tools, components, or prototypes.
Let us know in advance if you need specific resources.
What equipment and tools will be available?
A list of available tools can be found here: Tools _BoTH3
Of course, teams are encouraged to bring novel equipment or specific tools that you will need.
What frequency bands can be used during the hackathon?
For the hackathon, Belgian Defence also needs to request spectrum. Unfortunately, the procedure is slow; for that reason, during the hackathon, only ISM bands or bands for which you are licensed can be used. We will, however, create opportunities later on (expect Q3 2026) for work in anechoic chambers and live outside testing.
Will jamming equipment be provided on site?
We will have the capability to jam between 20 MHz and 6 GHz.
Can drones be flown at the event?
Yes. We can handle our own flight authorisations for low-level flights.
Will testing take place indoors or outdoors?
Both. We’ve even got a trench 😉
How is IP handled?
All pre-existing IP stays yours. Any IP created by a team belongs to the team; if the team is made up of representatives of different companies, each company has equal right to use the newly created IP, either jointly with other companies or on their own. For the details, read Terms and Conditions.
Is participation free?
Yes! Participation is completely free, including meals and refreshments during the event.
However, travel and accommodation (unless you choose to stay in the military tent) are at your own expense.
How Do I Get to the Venue?
If you are coming by train you will probably transfer through Namur. From there, there are direct trains or buses to Marche-les-Dames.
If arriving by car, there is plenty of parking space available at the venue.
Can I stay overnight at the venue?
Yes, it is possible to stay in shared military tents at the venue.
If you need accommodation, you will be asked to indicate this once your application to the hackathon is confirmed.
Will food and drinks be provided?
Yes! We’ll take care of meals, snacks, and drinks throughout the hackathon. If you have dietary restrictions, let us know during registration.
What are the winning criteria?
Desirability. Viability. Feasibility. Creativity. Elegance. See above!
What happens after the hackathon?
This is up to you! The event isn’t about competition, but about collaboration. Outstanding projects may be further supported by Belgian Defence or industry partners, depending on feasibility and interest.
Are there prizes?
For now, no. If your company would like to offer a prize, reach out to hello@inno4def.be!
Still have questions?
Reach out to us at hello@inno4def.be, we’re happy to help!
Knowledge Partners
Who is taking part?
Dozens of organisations from across the ecosystem will be taking part. Will you join them?
