The deteriorating security situation and the war in Ukraine have led to sharp increases in demand for defence. The EU has taken measures to reduce fragmentation and increase innovation in the European defence market. In addition, the development of knowledge has become increasingly complex. In order to assess how these trends will affect Swedish defence companies, it is important to understand the specific characteristics of the defence market. This study is a first step to build better knowledge about the defence market. The purpose of the study is to map collaborations and connections of the European defence companies by using a social network analysis. The study covers larger and more important defence companies in Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Norway and Finland. The study's results show, among other things, that collaborations are wider within the framework of the European Defence Fund and the Horizon framework program compared to product collaborations and joint ventures. The large defence companies Leonardo, Airbus, Thales and to some extent Safran form the core of the collaborations. This study has illustrated the characteristics of and connections between the largest defence companies, however, supplementary studies are needed for a deeper understanding of the defence market.