"A lot of techno diplomacy": Netline CEO on the challenges of exporting Israeli defense tech
Amid Israel's defense sector gold rush, CTech’s Amy Shapiro talks to Shai Palti, CEO of Netline, about balancing the growing demand for “spectrum dominance” while navigating export controls and international branding.
Netline at Defense Tech Expo 2026
(Video: Daniel Campos)
"Naturally everybody wants the Israeli technology. And on the other hand, it became more complicated to be an Israeli defense industry nowadays," says Shai Palti, CEO of Netline, a company specializing in counter-drone and counter-UAS technology, as well as convoy protection and counter-IED systems. Operating for 27 years, the company offers “spectrum dominance, which means that we can either sense or jam the electromagnetic environment which we find in many applications in the battlefield,” Palti explains.
Palti spoke with CTech’s Amy Shapiro during the Defense Tech Expo 2026 in Tel Aviv (February 17 2026), an event that underscored the significant shift of the Israeli technology sector. In the wake of October 7, Israel’s defense sector has experienced a maturation, accelerating from a period of rapid adaptation to a sustained "gold rush," driven by battlefield-proven solutions and a global increase in defense spending.
While the market is booming, Palti acknowledges the challenge of toeing the line between the sector’s high demand and complex geopolitics. Citing export controls as a significant hurdle, he notes that while international partners seek out Netline’s capabilities, some “are less excited about the Israeli branding, and this takes a lot of let's say, techno diplomacy in order to bring this technology to the international market.”
You can watch the full conversation in the video above.
