78 tracked editions across 21 countries. Defence, defence-tech and dual-use exhibitions and trade shows with dates, venues, organisers and registration deadlines.
As the premier security marketplace in the Asia-Pacific region, this event is the primary venue for global security suppliers to launch products into the Australian market and engage directly with integrators, consultants, government buyers, and critical-infrastructure end users. The co-location with Integrate and Fire Security Expo expands the addressable buyer pool to ~14,500 professionals across converging physical, cyber, fire, and AV sectors. For SMEs and startups, it is the most cost-efficient route to the Australian security procurement community, with free visitor registration and a sold-out floor plan signalling strong buyer intent.
Xi'an hosts China's densest concentration of state-owned defense primes and research institutes, making this expo one of the few accessible venues in western China where suppliers can engage directly with aerospace, ordnance, and defense-electronics procurement chains. For SMEs and dual-use technology firms, the military-civil integration forums and project roadshow sessions provide structured pathways into PLA and state-enterprise supply chains. The event's scale — targeting 50,000+ professional visitors and 1,500+ exhibitors — and its government guidance from provincial defense-industry authorities signal genuine procurement and partnership intent rather than a purely promotional showcase.
As the flagship procurement and technology showcase of EMERCOM of Russia, the salon is the primary venue where Russian federal and regional authorities, state enterprises, and international emergency services evaluate and procure fire-rescue equipment, critical-infrastructure protection systems, and dual-use safety technologies. The 2026 edition's new regional rotation format and co-organisation with the Republic of Tatarstan opens access to Volga Federal District procurement networks and regional government buyers. For SMEs and startups in fire-tech, UAS, robotics, and CBRN protection, it is the most direct route to state customers and to international delegations from CIS, BRICS+, and partner countries.
EIAS is the only dedicated international airshow in Africa and the Arab world outside the Gulf, giving defence suppliers direct access to Egyptian Armed Forces procurement leadership, African air forces and Middle Eastern civil aviation authorities simultaneously. The VIP Delegation Programme channels over 100 government and military delegations directly to exhibitor stands, compressing procurement cycles. For SMEs and startups, it offers a cost-effective entry point into two of the fastest-growing defence and commercial aviation markets globally at a show that already drew 200+ exhibitors in its inaugural edition.
MSPO is one of the highest-value contracting forums in Europe: the 2025 edition saw over PLN 6 billion in defence contracts signed on-site, making it a critical venue for business development in Central and Eastern European procurement markets. Poland's status as one of the EU's most active defence spenders — with the largest NATO GDP-percentage defence budget — gives suppliers direct access to live procurement pipelines and senior ministry decision-makers. For SMEs and startups, the Canadian Lead Nation programme, B2B matchmaking, and the DEFENDER awards offer structured pathways to partnerships, export opportunities, and visibility with global primes and government buyers.
This is one of the few recurring Chinese domestic venues where civilian technology companies can engage directly with PLA procurement and logistics officers, making it a rare structured channel into Chinese military supply chains. For dual-use SMEs and tech firms in AI, IoT, unmanned systems, and cybersecurity, the event offers direct demand-signal access that is otherwise difficult to obtain. Western and allied defence analysts should monitor exhibitor and delegation lists as an indicator of PLA civil-military fusion procurement priorities.
MITE CHINA Nanjing is one of the few recurring domestic Chinese exhibitions explicitly focused on military AI, C2, and unmanned systems, making it a direct window into PLA procurement priorities and the civil-military fusion supply chain. For defence-adjacent technology companies — particularly in AI, simulation, EW, and UAS — it offers rare access to Chinese state-owned enterprise buyers and research institutes that drive domestic procurement decisions. Western analysts and allied intelligence communities also monitor the exhibitor roster as a leading indicator of PLA capability development and dual-use technology transfer pathways.
AAD is the only aerospace and defence exhibition on the African continent, making it the principal venue for OEMs, primes, and SMEs seeking to reach African military procurement officers, Defence Chiefs of Arms, and government delegations across more than 30 countries in a single show. For exporters and startups entering African markets, AAD offers direct access to senior decision-makers that no other continental event replicates. The South African government's National Event designation and Armscor's lead-partner role ensure high-level institutional backing and a buyer-rich environment for deal-making.
As NATO's flagship public-communications event in Central Europe, it puts allied air, land and rescue capabilities in front of national leadership, ambassadors, military attachés and hundreds of thousands of visitors, giving suppliers high-visibility exposure alongside primes and government forces. The Special Partner Nation mechanism (Germany in 2026) has historically opened industrial and political cooperation opportunities, and the show serves as a debut platform for new platforms and modernization programs relevant to Czech and allied procurement.
ADEX is the primary gateway for defence suppliers seeking access to Azerbaijan's growing procurement budget and to Caspian/Central Asian buyers who attend in force as official delegations. The direct presence of Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defence Industry — which invites and hosts delegations — means exhibitors gain structured access to end-user decision-makers rarely available at larger Western shows. For SMEs and startups, a dedicated startup track and a relatively lower cost-of-entry compared with DSEI or Eurosatory make it a cost-effective route into a strategically active regional market.
DEFSEC Atlantic is the primary gateway to Canada's East Coast defence procurement ecosystem, offering direct access to Canadian Armed Forces, NATO DIANA representatives, and federal procurement officials at a single venue. The sold-out exhibition floor and a B2B meetings programme expanded by 40% for 2026 signal strong commercial momentum, making it a high-ROI event for SMEs and startups seeking to enter or grow within Canada's $30 billion+ ongoing defence procurement pipeline. Its focus on naval systems, cyber, AI, and aerospace aligns with Canada's commitment to reach 2% GDP defence spending.
Land Forces is the primary marketplace for Australian Army procurement programs and sovereign capability development, making it the single most important annual touchpoint for land-domain suppliers seeking access to Army project offices, CASG/DDA decision-makers, and international prime contractors. For SMEs and startups, the Innovation Pitchfest, Army Innovation Day, and structured B2G meeting programs offer direct pathways to capability insertion and supply-chain entry. The 2026 Perth edition opens engagement with Western Australia's growing defence industrial base and aligns with Australia's 2024 National Defence Strategy priorities.
As Poland's first trade fair focused exclusively on drones and counter-UAS systems, DSE gives suppliers, SMEs and startups direct access to Polish uniformed services, military, critical-infrastructure managers and energy/telecom operators at a time of heightened regional demand for C-UAS capability. The event's live demonstration zones and decision-maker networking offer a practical route to test products and reach procurement-relevant buyers. Its debut status makes it a lower-cost early-mover opportunity in a fast-growing Central European security market.
The anchor event for anyone selling to the US Army. Program offices and primes are present in force; ideal for SMEs seeking subcontracting and teaming opportunities.
This is the primary procurement-facing event for Quebec's naval supply chain, where federal ministers have used the platform to announce National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) contracts and submarine procurement updates — making it a critical intelligence touchpoint for any company seeking Davie, Royal Canadian Navy, or Canadian Coast Guard business. With ~750 participants and ~65 exhibitors, it is compact enough for SMEs and startups to gain direct access to prime contractors such as Chantier Davie and Thales Canada. Pre-scheduled B2B meetings with national and international outsourcers give exhibitors a structured path to new contracts.
The event offers direct access to allied governance through official NATO working group sessions (including Dismounted Soldier Systems groups) and NSPA user groups, where standards, user requirements, and procurement strategies are discussed. For SMEs and startups, the Innovation Pavilion and Defence Lab provide beneficial-rate access to operators, investors, and decision-makers from 70+ national delegations. Its Central European position and government patronage make it a practical entry point for suppliers targeting NATO and EU markets.
As the first large-scale, continent-wide defence exhibition based in West Africa, AFRIDEX opens direct access to African procurement authorities and ministerial delegations from more than 35 confirmed nations, giving international suppliers and African SMEs a structured route into one of the world's fastest-growing defence markets. The buyer-led, protocol-driven format — with a dedicated Hosted Delegation Programme and curated government meetings — is designed to convert exhibition presence into tangible procurement conversations and industrial partnerships. For startups and emerging innovators, the international pavilion structure and co-location with major primes (Rheinmetall, Embraer, Turkish Aerospace, Norinco) provide rare visibility in a market where relationships with ministries of defence are the critical gateway.
SOFEX is the only dedicated SOF and homeland-security exhibition in the Middle East and North Africa, making it the primary gateway for defence suppliers seeking access to Arab and broader MENA procurement communities. Delegations are headed by Ministers of Defence, Chiefs of Staff, and Special Operations Commanders, meaning exhibitors engage directly with senior decision-makers and procurement directorates rather than intermediaries. For SMEs and startups, the new Elite Badge tier and digital matchmaking programme lower the barrier to securing pre-arranged meetings with high-value buyers.
BAMEX is the only defense trade show in the Sahel region with dedicated live-demonstration days before procuring delegations, giving exhibitors direct access to heads of state offices, ministries of defense, general staff, and procurement authorities from up to 54 African nations in a single venue. For SMEs and startups, it offers a rare early-mover opportunity in one of the world's fastest-growing defense markets, where demand for border security, UAS, counter-UAS, and soldier systems is acute. The organizers project up to $500 million in business volume per edition, making it a commercially high-stakes platform despite its relatively compact size.
INTERPOLITEX is the primary domestic marketplace where Russian federal security agencies (MoD, MVD, FSB, Rosgvardiya, MChS, FSVTS) conduct live equipment monitoring and competitive selection, making it the single most direct channel for Russian and CIS-friendly suppliers to reach government procurement decision-makers. More than 50% of visitors hold purchasing authority or directly influence procurement decisions, and the event is formally included in the MoD congress-exhibition plan. For SMEs and startups, the «National Security» innovation competition provides a structured route to expert evaluation and visibility with state customers.
CMPE Shenzhen is one of China's largest dedicated military-police equipment expos, directly connecting suppliers with procurement decision-makers from the PLA, People's Armed Police, public security bureaus, and emergency management agencies — making it the primary gateway for domestic and foreign vendors seeking access to Chinese government and law-enforcement buyers. For SMEs and technology companies in counter-UAS, surveillance, soldier systems, and emergency response, the expo offers direct product demonstration opportunities and procurement leads in a market that is otherwise difficult to penetrate. The event's co-organizers include state defence-industrial conglomerates (CASIC, CASC, AVIC, CSSC, NORINCO Group), giving exhibitors rare visibility with institutional end-users and state-owned enterprise buyers.
ExpoNaval is the only comprehensive naval and maritime defence trade show in Latin America, making it the primary gateway for global primes and SMEs seeking access to the region's navy procurement programmes, including Chile's newly launched Continuous National Shipbuilding Plan. The structured delegation-meeting agenda — with admirals and commanders-in-chief from across the region — provides direct access to uniformed decision-makers that is rare outside major global shows. The 2026 move to Santiago amplifies political and commercial reach, attracting a wider pool of government and private-sector buyers.
CIEPE is the single most authoritative procurement-facing event for China's public security market, with all exhibition halls fully booked and direct access to Ministry of Public Security decision-makers and provincial police buyers. For dual-use and security-technology SMEs and primes, it is the essential gateway to understand Chinese law enforcement technology requirements and competitive benchmarks. The event's growing international participation — 30 overseas companies from 11 countries in 2025 — signals expanding opportunities for foreign suppliers in surveillance, communications, and unmanned systems.
For defence suppliers aligned with or seeking access to Russia and its partner states (China, Iran, Belarus, India, African and Middle Eastern nations), ARMY has historically been the single most important procurement and export platform in the Russian-sphere market. The forum is where the Russian MoD signs multi-hundred-billion-rouble government contracts and where Rosoboronexport facilitates export negotiations with over 80 foreign military delegations. Its cancellation in 2025 — the first in the event's history — is itself a significant market signal about Russia's wartime operational security posture and the declining viability of the forum as an international arms-trade venue.
ISC Brasil is the dominant gateway for security-technology suppliers—including dual-use and defence-adjacent firms—seeking access to Latin America's largest and fastest-growing security market. With over 100 exhibiting brands and an audience of corporate security managers, government officials, police, and critical-infrastructure operators, it is the primary venue for business development, channel partnerships, and product launches in the region. For SMEs and startups, the free-admission model for trade professionals maximises buyer footfall relative to participation cost.
NEVA is the dominant gateway event for any supplier seeking access to Russia's civil shipbuilding, Arctic/Northern Sea Route, and inland-waterways procurement pipeline, drawing state corporations such as USC and Rosatom as programme organisers and anchor exhibitors. For SMEs and international suppliers, the 100%-sold-out exhibition space and 700+ exhibitor roster signal a highly competitive but commercially active market where deals and framework agreements are signed on the floor. Despite Western sanctions constraining some participation, the event continues to attract 30+ countries and remains the primary B2B matchmaking platform for the Russian maritime supply chain.
CPSE is the single largest procurement and business-development gateway into China's public-safety and smart-city supply chain, drawing 150,000+ professional buyers from 110+ countries and connecting global security manufacturers with Chinese municipal authorities and systems integrators. For dual-use technology suppliers — particularly in AI, UAS, edge computing, and ISR — it provides unmatched visibility into Chinese government procurement priorities and competitive intelligence on domestic champions. Western and allied-nation defence SMEs and primes should monitor CPSE closely as a leading indicator of PRC security-technology export pipelines and capability development.
Indo Pacific is the single most important maritime-defence procurement forum in the Asia-Pacific, drawing Chiefs of Navy, senior acquisition officials, and prime contractors from over 60 nations — making it a critical venue for capability announcements, supply-chain entry, and AUKUS-related industrial partnerships. For SMEs and startups, state-government pavilions and structured B2B/B2G matchmaking sessions provide rare direct access to tier-1 primes and military procurement managers. With attendance and exhibitor numbers hitting records in 2025, the event is the primary gateway for international companies seeking to enter or expand in the Australian and Indo-Pacific defence market.
Enforce Tac is the premier European procurement and partnership forum for the security and defence sector, bringing together credentialled decision-makers, budget holders, and ministry representatives who are actively shaping equipment and capability programmes. For SMEs and startups, a dedicated 'startups@Enforce Tac' area offers subsidised participation and direct access to prime contractors and institutional buyers at a single venue. The event's explosive growth—visitor numbers up 42% and exhibitor count up over 40% in 2026—reflects its rapidly rising strategic weight as Europe's central platform for networked security dialogue.
As Latin America's premier restricted-access defence and security trade fair, LAAD Security is the primary procurement and business-development gateway for the region's government buyers, police forces and armed forces — making it the single most important venue for defence suppliers and dual-use technology firms seeking contracts across Brazil and neighbouring markets. The structured official-delegations programme gives exhibitors direct, scheduled face-time with high-ranking decision-makers from dozens of countries. For SMEs and startups, the event's B2B negotiation format and public-security business rounds offer structured access to both federal buyers and prime-contractor networks.
Chengdu sits at the heart of China's western strategic industrial base, hosting over 300 defense-related enterprises and research institutes built during the Third Front construction era, making this expo a primary gateway for suppliers seeking procurement relationships with Sichuan and Shaanxi defense clusters. For SMEs and dual-use technology developers, the event's civil-military integration (军民融合) mandate and investment matchmaking sessions offer direct access to state-owned prime contractors and government procurement delegations. The annual cadence and growing scale (from 1st to 2nd edition) signal increasing institutional backing and expanding commercial opportunity in China's western defense corridor.
NETE is one of the few large-format defense-industrial expos in eastern China with explicit 'civil-military fusion' (军民融合) positioning, making it a primary gateway for private-sector SMEs and startups seeking qualification and supply-chain entry into China's defense procurement ecosystem. With 600+ exhibitors, 40,000 sqm of floor space, and participation from PLA procurement bodies and all major state defense conglomerates, it offers direct access to decision-makers across aerospace, electronics, and unmanned systems. For international firms, the event's stated openness to participants from 20+ countries and its Shanghai location provide a rare window into China's defense-industrial modernization priorities.
This is the highest-profile state-level showcase for China's C4ISR and military-AI industrial base, drawing procurement representatives from the PLA, CMC organs, all service branches, and the ten major defence-industrial groups — making it the primary venue for technology-to-procurement pipeline decisions in Chinese military intelligence. For dual-use SMEs and technology startups, the event provides direct access to military end-users and system integrators in a single concentrated forum unavailable elsewhere in the Chinese market. The expo's growing emphasis on AI, embodied intelligence, and low-altitude/counter-UAS systems signals near-term procurement priorities that suppliers can align products to.
As Ecuador's primary security technology marketplace, SeguriExpo is the most efficient single venue for suppliers to reach Ecuadorian and Andean-region distributors, integrators, and public-sector buyers in one concentrated event. With 13 years of history and a free-to-attend model, it draws a highly qualified trade audience, making it a cost-effective entry point for SMEs and startups seeking to establish or expand their Latin American channel. The event's academic agenda also positions it as a thought-leadership platform for companies launching new products or seeking brand recognition in the region.
MIKES tracks 42 defence exhibitions and trade shows for 2026, from February to December, across 21 countries. Every entry carries dates, venue, organiser, who actually attends, expected scale, exhibitor cost band and the registration deadline. Anchor editions include Security Exhibition & Conference, China (Xi'an) Advanced Manufacturing and Digital Industry Expo & Defense Science and Technology Industry Expo and Международный салон средств обеспечения безопасности «Комплексная безопасность». Sorted by date, filterable by region, topic and budget, exportable to your calendar.
Frequently asked
How many defence exhibitions and trade shows are there in 2026?
MIKES tracks 42 defence exhibitions and trade shows in 2026 across 21 countries, including Security Exhibition & Conference, China (Xi'an) Advanced Manufacturing and Digital Industry Expo & Defense Science and Technology Industry Expo and Международный салон средств обеспечения безопасности «Комплексная безопасность».
Which defence exhibition is next?
Security Exhibition & Conference is next, opening 2 September 2026 in Sydney, Australia.
When do registrations close for defence exhibitions and trade shows?
Deadlines are tracked per edition: 1 of the 42 listed for 2026 still have an open registration deadline, the soonest being Land Forces International Land Defence Exposition on 1 October 2026.
How much do defence exhibitions and trade shows cost to attend?
Cost is recorded per edition rather than estimated. All 42 listed carry a published cost or exhibitor price band, from free entry to paid delegate and stand packages.
Know a trade shows & exhibitions event we are missing?
The catalog is curated, which means it is only as complete as the people using it. Paste the event URL and we do the rest: dates, venue, taxonomy and the decision note. Listed contributors are credited on the event page.
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