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.
