European defense startups eye commercial deals and hiring push in the Middle East amid the Iran war

European defense tech startups are ramping up commercial discussions with Middle East governments since the Iran war, company execs told CNBC. Another CEO said interest from Gulf states was "skyrocketing" as they race to bolster measures to counter drone and missile attacks. Iran has targeted its neighbors since a joint U.S.-Israeli military operation began at the end of February, with more than 3,000 drones and missiles having been fired on the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait, according to data compiled by think tank the Center for Strategic and International Studies. European startups that develop defense technology, in particular drone and missile interceptors, told CNBC they were increasingly talking with and receiving approaches from Gulf states to supply their militaries. Others are ramping up hiring in the region as they look to meet the demand for their systems. Commercial conversations Earlier this month, the UK government convened a meeting of defense companies to meet ambassadors and defense attaches from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Iraq and Jordan. The discussion focused on "potential new defensive equipment and technology that British-based companies could supply at rapid pace to allies to counter Iranian drone and missile attacks," the government said in a statement. The meeting included Frankenburg Technologies, an Estonia-headquartered startup developing missiles to intercept drones, UK-based drone and missile interceptor company Cambridge Aerospace and Ukrainian-UK startup Uforce, which is developing autonomous systems. Frankenburg has seen commercial conversations with Gulf states speed up since the onset of the Iran war, CEO Kusti Salm told CNBC. The startup is currently in discussions with a number of governments in the Middle East about procuring its tech, Salm said, though declined to share which. The potential order volume from Gulf states is in the thousands of missiles, Salm told CNBC, adding that Fr...