The Paris Defence Exhibition this week showcased the next generation of warfare, featuring advanced drones, robotics, and artificial intelligence.
Issued on: 20/06/2026 – 10:55
4 min Reading time
Organisers of the Eurosatory defence exhibition stated that the 2026 edition, held from 15 to 19 June, highlighted the growing prevalence of drones and the integration of artificial intelligence into military hardware.
Displays included tethered surveillance drones, teams of AI‑powered robots capable of operating in hazardous environments without human intervention, and unmanned ground vehicles already deployed in the conflict in Ukraine.
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The defence sector is set to benefit from Europe’s renewed drive to rearm, following US President Donald Trump’s call for European nations to increase defence spending and NATO’s agreement to allocate 5% of GDP to defence by 2035.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri), Europe’s arms imports between 2021 and 2025 rose by 210% compared with the previous five‑year period. A significant share of these acquisitions has been directed toward Ukraine, which remains the world’s largest importer of major weapons.
The United States is by far the world’s largest arms supplier, providing 42 percent of all exports in 2025.
France follows in second place with 9.8 percent, with its exports climbing by 21 percent between 2016-20 and 2021-25.
Anti-war protests
The push to rearm has sparked opposition from anti‑war activists. The French group Guerre à la Guerre (War on War) organised a series of protests against the Eurosatory fair, describing it as a “global supermarket of war and control.”
On the opening day, pro‑Palestinian demonstrators blocked access routes to the exhibition in Villepinte, north of Paris, demanding an end to arms shipments to Israel.
France imposed restrictions on Israeli participation, prohibiting the display of offensive Israeli weapons and limiting exhibitors to air‑defence and anti‑ballistic missile systems.
Both Israel and Russia were barred from the previous Eurosatory in 2024 due to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
Israeli companies’ displays were also restricted at the 2025 Paris Air Show.
Eurosatory was due to be followed by the International Anti-War Conference in London on Saturday, which organisers said would gather activists from across Europe to oppose war and rearmament, with speakers to include Jérôme Lagavre, a member of the French Assembly for the left-wing LFI party.
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