BAKU, Azerbaijan, September
30. ADEX 2026, the 6th Azerbaijan International
Defence Exhibition, has opened in Baku, bringing the world's
leading defense companies together, political analyst Azer Garayev
told Trend.
According to the analyst, held at the Baku Expo Center from
September 30 to October 2, the exhibition has established itself as
one of Azerbaijan's most significant international events in the
defense industry. This year, the scale and geographic reach of ADEX
have expanded further, with leading companies, government agencies,
and high-level delegations from various countries gathering in
Baku.
"A key feature of ADEX is that it is not merely a venue for
showcasing new military products. The exhibition also facilitates
direct connections between companies operating across various
sectors of the defense industry, allowing them to present their
technologies, meet potential partners, and discuss new
opportunities for collaboration. In this regard, ADEX serves as a
vital platform for interstate and military-technical cooperation,"
he noted.
According to him, the participation of more than 270 companies
from 29 countries has been confirmed for ADEX 2026, with 14
countries represented by national pavilions. Furthermore, the
participation of 45 foreign delegations from 33 countries was
recorded. These figures demonstrate that the exhibition has become
an attractive platform not only for the local defense industry but
also for the international one.
"Alongside Azerbaijan, companies from the U.S., Türkiye, Italy,
Germany, the UK, China, Israel, Pakistan, Romania, Russia, South
Korea, Spain, the UAE, Uzbekistan, and other countries are
participating in the exhibition. U.S. company participation in ADEX
has expanded significantly this year; Northrop Grumman, Lockheed
Martin, SIG SAUER, Vantor, and Ondas are represented at the
exhibition for the first time. Germany’s Rheinmetall and Rohde &
Schwarz, as well as the UK’s BAE Systems, are also among this
year's participants. Meanwhile, Türkiye has the largest
representation at the exhibition.
The significance of ADEX also stems from the wide range of
products on display. The exhibition showcases aviation and aviation
systems, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), radio-electronic systems,
C4ISR technologies, modern weapons and ammunition, military
hardware, naval systems, and other defense industry products. Thus,
visitors and professionals have the opportunity to view and compare
various aspects of defense technology in a single location," the
analyst noted.
Garayev pointed out that Azerbaijan's participation holds a
special place in this context. For the first time at ADEX 2026,
Hall 4 of the Baku Expo Center has been fully dedicated to the
national exposition. Here, the products and capabilities of
entities and companies representing Azerbaijan's defense industry,
technology, space industry, and engineering sectors are on
display.
"Alongside the Ministry of Defence Industry and the Ministry of
Defence, entities such as Azercosmos, the Azersilah Defence
Industry Holding, the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action
(ANAMA), and other organizations and companies are also
participating in the national exposition. This highlights another
significant aspect of ADEX for Azerbaijan. The exhibition provides
a ready-made platform for showcasing the achievements of the
country's defense industry to an international audience. Here,
local enterprises can demonstrate their products and technological
capabilities to international companies, military delegations, and
potential partners," he said.
The analyst emphasized that the expansion of ADEX is also
significant in terms of increasing opportunities for international
cooperation within Azerbaijan's defense industry.
“Bilateral meetings are being held within the framework of the
exhibition among Azerbaijani government agencies, foreign
delegations, and exhibitors. These meetings aim to discuss
opportunities for cooperation in the defense industry, establish
new connections, and lay the groundwork for future partnerships.
This particular aspect of the exhibition was also highlighted in
the address sent by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, to
the participants of ADEX 2026. The head of state noted that, with
growing interest and participation year by year, ADEX has evolved
into one of the region's most prestigious defense industry
platforms: "The growing interest in this exhibition
year after year, along with the representation of numerous
countries and leading companies, clearly reflects the relevance and
international prestige of the event."
This statement is confirmed by the scale of this year's
exhibition. The growing number of companies, the participation of
new countries in ADEX, the expansion of national pavilions, and the
presence of high-level delegations demonstrate that the exhibition
is gradually evolving into a major platform for international
cooperation. In this regard, the significance of ADEX extends
beyond the days of the exhibition itself. "The connections
established, meetings held, and technologies presented here could
lay the foundation for future collaborations," Garayev said.
According to him, President Ilham Aliyev’s address also
highlighted the special attention paid to the development of
Azerbaijan's own defense industry.
"President Ilham Aliyev noted that the quality and reliability
of Azerbaijan's defense industry products are highly regarded
internationally today: 'The ADEX exhibition is of
particular significance in presenting to the international
community the strength and potential of our country's
defense-industrial complex, including its innovative technologies,
as well as modern products and new achievements of defense industry
enterprises from our partner countries.”
In this regard, ADEX offers Azerbaijan an opportunity to both
demonstrate its own capabilities and closely monitor developments
in the global defense industry. On one hand, local production and
technologies are showcased, while on the other, the latest products
from the world's leading defense companies are on display.
Gathering such a vast array of technologies and production
capabilities in one place creates a significant opportunity to
observe the industry's development trends," the analyst said.
Garayev noted that the Securex Caspian 2026 exhibition, held in
parallel with ADEX, complements this picture.
"The event, which showcases solutions in the fields of security,
protection, rescue operations, and emergency management, unites
various aspects of the defense and security sectors on a single
platform. Both exhibitions will run at the Baku Expo Center until
October 2.
Thus, ADEX 2026 in Baku isn’t merely an event for displaying new
weaponry and military hardware. The exhibition further solidifies
its position as a broad international platform that presents the
capabilities of Azerbaijan's defense industry to a global audience,
brings together companies and delegations from various countries,
and creates opportunities for technology exchange and new
partnerships," the analyst added.
