Europe’s security landscape has not looked like this in a generation. The war in Ukraine has rewritten the operational playbook across land, air and cyber domains. Autonomous systems, counter-UAS technologies and electronic warfare are no longer future concepts – they are present requirements.
Against this backdrop, Prague will once again become a central forum for defence and security when the 16th Future Forces Exhibition & Forum (FF26) opens at PVA EXPO PRAGUE on 21–23 October 2026.
For over 25 years, Future Forces events have connected operational users, capability developers, policymakers and industry. What began as a specialised exhibition focused on individual soldier systems has evolved into one of the most important defence and security platforms in Europe.
FF26 is not a trade fair with a conference attached. It is a working platform combining three days of exhibition with official NATO working group sessions, more than 40 expert panels and conferences, bilateral meeting facilities and structured delegate engagement.
More than 400 exhibitors from over 35 countries will present across 20,000 square metres of exhibition space. Delegations from over 70 countries are expected to participate. The event is held under the auspices of the President and the Government of the Czech Republic, in close cooperation with NATO and EU structures.
A key strength of FF26 is its direct connection to Allied governance. Prague will host official sessions of the NATO Army Armaments Group (NAAG) Land Capability Group Dismounted Soldier Systems and the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) Dismounted Soldier Equipment User Group. These are practical working platforms where interoperability standards, user requirements and procurement directions are shaped. A dedicated NATO Pavilion will provide structured engagement between Allied institutional representatives and the wider professional community.
The expert programme reflects the complexity of the current security environment. The Future Forces Conference opens with the strategic panel Defence 2035+: Adapting to the New Security Reality, setting the frame for a wider debate on where Allied capabilities must be in the coming decade.
From there, the programme moves into operational and technical areas: armed UAV operations, advanced sensing and electronic warfare, counter-UAS technologies, robotics and AI, CBRN innovation, battlefield medicine, cyber crisis preparedness, space as an operational domain, logistics and resilience of the state security system. Lessons from Ukraine run through many of these sessions – not as theory, but as direct operational input.
The Future of Cyber Conference will include a Live Hacking Zone and Cyber Escape Rooms, putting concepts into immediate practical context. The Future of Civil Security Conference, developed in cooperation with Ukraine’s defence and security industry association, will draw on hard-won operational experience from the conflict itself.
New for 2026, a mobile container live firing range – the first of its kind in the Czech Republic – will allow live testing of firearms, ammunition, ballistics, protection systems, optics and sensors directly within the exhibition environment.
FF26 is designed for those who must make consequential choices: senior officials, military leaders, procurement authorities, capability planners, R&D directors, industry representatives and diplomatic missions. Its value is not only in presenting technologies, but in connecting them with real operational needs.
The most valuable outcome of such a gathering is not a catalogue. It is a decision informed by the right conversation with the right counterpart.
The 16th Future Forces Exhibition & Forum takes place 21 – 23 October 2026 at PVA EXPO PRAGUE.Professional visitors may attend the exhibition and forum free of charge.
Exhibitor & general enquiries: info@future-forces.org
