Strategic Equity Partnership with MOONHUB
Summary by AI BETAClose X
05 November 2026
London, UK
Defence Holdings Announces Second Strategic Equity Partnership with MOONHUB, Advancing Investment Pillar Strategy
Defence Holdings PLC ("Defence Holdings" or the "Company"), the UK-based defence technology group, can today announce that it has entered into a strategic advisory and equity option agreement with MOONHUB ("MOONHUB"), a UK technology company specialising in immersive training and behavioural performance assessment.
The agreement represents the Company's second strategic equity partnership, following its previously announced arrangement with OM Defence Systems in May 2026, and marks further progress in the development of the Investment pillar of Defence Holdings' Operating Model.
Under the agreement, Defence Holdings will provide strategic advisory support to MOONHUB as it explores potential applications for its PROMETHEUS technology within the defence and national security sectors, including the protection of critical national infrastructure.
Highlights
· Second strategic equity partnership: Follows the agreement with OM Defence Systems in May 2026, demonstrating growing momentum in the development of the Investment pillar of Defence Holdings' Operating Model.
· Expanding defence applications: MOONHUB has developed proprietary immersive training and performance assessment technology, with potential applications in defence, national security and critical infrastructure protection.
· Strategic advisory support: Defence Holdings will join MOONHUB's non-statutory advisory board, supporting the assessment of potential defence applications, prioritisation of commercial opportunities and development of routes to market.
· Capital-efficient equity participation: Defence Holdings will receive an option representing 0.50% of MOONHUB's fully diluted share capital at grant, in consideration for its strategic advisory contribution, without an upfront equity investment.
· Broadening technology ecosystem: The partnership adds exposure to immersive training and behavioural performance assessment capabilities, complementing Defence Holdings' growing interests across defence and security technologies.
MOONHUB Technology and Defence Applications
MOONHUB has developed PROMETHEUS, a proprietary immersive training platform designed to improve how individuals recognise, assess and respond to situations within complex operating environments.
Originally developed for commercial applications, including physical security and workplace training, the technology combines realistic simulated scenarios with performance assessment capabilities that measure how individuals respond to different situations.
Its technology enables organisations to assess situational awareness, decision-making and behavioural responses within controlled training environments, providing insights into individual performance and areas for improvement.
MOONHUB is now seeking to extend these capabilities into defence and national security applications, with an initial focus on the protection of critical national infrastructure.
The Company believes that the ability to simulate complex security scenarios, assess individual responses and support more effective operational training has potential relevance across a range of defence and security environments, particularly where personnel are required to identify emerging threats, exercise judgement and respond effectively under pressure.
Strategic Partnership
Under the agreement, Defence Holdings PLC will serve as a non-statutory member of MOONHUB's advisory board, providing strategic guidance as MOONHUB explores opportunities to extend its technology into defence and national security markets. The advisory role will draw on the Company's leadership experience, sector knowledge and understanding of defence and critical infrastructure requirements..
The engagement will focus on assessing credible defence applications for PROMETHEUS, prioritising opportunities alongside MOONHUB's established enterprise market, evaluating potential partnership models and developing practical routes to market.
The engagement will be supported by Defence Holdings' Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Roughan, drawing on his experience across defence technology, operational environments and commercial strategy.
Development of the Investment Pillar
The MOONHUB agreement represents further progress in building the Investment pillar of Defence Holdings' Operating Model, following the Company's first strategic equity partnership with OM Defence Systems in May 2026.
While the two businesses operate in different areas of technology, both arrangements demonstrate the Company's ability to identify opportunities where its expertise can support commercial development in exchange for the opportunity to acquire equity interests.
The addition of MOONHUB also broadens the range of technologies represented within Defence Holdings' developing ecosystem. Its capabilities in immersive training and behavioural performance assessment introduce a potential new dimension to the Company's focus on critical infrastructure defence, complementing its existing interests in technologies concerned with threat identification, operational awareness and security.
As the Investment pillar develops, the Board believes that an increasingly diverse range of complementary technologies and capabilities could strengthen the Company's ability to address a broader set of defence and national security customer requirements.
Equity Arrangements
Under the agreement, Defence Holdings PLC will receive an option over 691 B Ordinary (Non-Voting) Shares in The Moon Hub Ltd, representing 0.50% of the Company's 138,359 fully diluted shares at the date of grant.
The option will vest over four years from the date of grant, with 25% vesting on the first anniversary and the remaining 75% vesting in 36 equal monthly instalments thereafter.
Vested options may be exercised only upon a share sale or asset sale, or before a listing where directed by MOONHUB's Board, in accordance with the option agreement and applicable scheme rules. The exercise price is £0.01 per share, and the option must be exercised in full.
The arrangement does not require Defence Holdings to make a cash investment in MOONHUB.
Andrew Roughan, Chief Executive Officer of Defence Holdings PLC, commented:
"Our partnership with MOONHUB represents further progress in building the Investment pillar of our Operating Model. Following our agreement with OM Defence Systems earlier this year, this second strategic arrangement demonstrates growing momentum in our ability to identify promising technologies and support their commercial development through advisory relationships that provide opportunities for equity participation.
"MOONHUB has developed PROMETHEUS, an immersive training and performance assessment platform with applications in commercial security and training. We see potential to explore how those capabilities could be adapted for defence and critical national infrastructure protection, where situational awareness, decision-making and operational readiness are increasingly important.
"As our ecosystem continues to develop, we are building exposure to an increasingly diverse range of technologies and capabilities. We believe this will strengthen our ability to respond to a broader range of challenges facing defence and national security customers, while creating opportunities to participate in the longer-term value of the businesses we support.
"We look forward to working with the MOONHUB team as it explores the next stage of its development."
About Defence Holdings PLC (ALRT)
Defence Holdings PLC (LSE: ALRT) is the UK's first listed software-led defence company. Its five-year strategic plan focuses on delivering sovereign digital capabilities across national security, resilience, and defence readiness.
website: www.defenceplc.com
Media Enquiries
Andrew Roughan, Director
Defence Holdings PLC
Tel: +44 (0)20 3855 5551
Email: press@defenceplc.com
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