Defense Trade Show Calendar 2026-2027: Which CEE and SEE Events Matter
MSPO, IDET, Partner, IDEB, and HEMUS run on staggered biennial cycles. Miss the year and you miss the show. Here is the confirmed 2026-2027 calendar for defense industry professionals working in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe.
Several of the region's most important defense trade shows run on a two-year cycle, staggered so that no two land in the same year. Get the cycle wrong and a company either shows up a year early with nothing to see, or misses the window entirely and waits two years for the next chance.
According to Ben Tober, Co-Founder of DefenseLead.com, which advises defense companies on business development and industry visibility across the region, clients regularly ask about more than just which shows in CEE and SEE are worth attending alongside the established global fairs. The more difficult question is where it is worth sending a company's most senior teams, and how large an exhibition budget a given show actually justifies.
1. MSPO, Kielce, Poland
MSPO, the International Defence Industry Exhibition, is the largest defense trade fair in Central and Eastern Europe and, unlike most shows on this list, runs annually. The 2026 edition took place September 8-11 at Targi Kielce, drawing more than 34,000 visitors and over 625 exhibitors, with Canada serving as the year's Lead Nation. MSPO is strongly backed by Poland's Ministry of National Defence and Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa, and it doubles as the venue for the Polish Armed Forces Exhibition.
targikielce.pl/en/mspo
2. IDET, Brno, Czech Republic
IDET, the International Defence and Security Technologies Fair, is biennial, with the next edition running May 26-28, 2027, at the Brno Exhibition Centre. The previous edition drew more than 650 exhibitors from 35 countries and roughly 30,000 visitors. IDET runs alongside PYROS and ISET, covering firefighting and security technology, and features IDET ARENA, an outdoor demonstration ground for live equipment trials.
bvv.cz/en/idet
3. Partner, Belgrade, Serbia
Partner, the International Defense Fair, is Southeastern Europe's largest arms and military equipment exhibition, held biennially at the Belgrade Fair under the patronage of Serbia's Ministry of Defence. The 12th edition ran September 23-26, 2025, putting the 13th edition in 2027.
partner.rs
4. IDEB, Bratislava, Slovakia
IDEB Defence and Security is a biennial exhibition at Incheba Expo in Bratislava, under the patronage of Slovakia's Ministry of Defence. AdriaDefense covered the ninth edition on site in May 2026, putting the next edition in 2028. Recent editions have expanded to cover fire protection and internal security alongside core defense technology.
incheba.sk
5. HEMUS, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
HEMUS is Bulgaria's largest defense and security exhibition, held biennially in even years at International Fair Plovdiv. The 17th edition ran June 3-6, 2026, under the auspices of Bulgaria's Ministry of Defence, focusing on land, air, and naval systems alongside cybersecurity and unmanned systems. The next edition is expected in June 2028.
hemusbg.org
6. Black Sea Defense, Aerospace and Security, Bucharest, Romania
BSDA is Romania's leading tri-service defense, aerospace, and security exhibition, held biennially at the ROMAERO Complex in Bucharest since its founding in 2007. The 2026 edition ran May 13-15 and was, according to organizers, the largest in the event's 20-year history, drawing more than 650 companies from 36 countries and an expected 30,000 visitors, held under the high patronage of the President of Romania. The next edition is expected in 2028.
bsda.ro
7. Future Forces Exhibition and Forum, Prague, Czech Republic
Future Forces Exhibition and Forum is a biennial event at PVA EXPO Prague with roots dating back to 1985. The 16th edition runs October 21-23, 2026, under the patronage of the President of the Czech Republic, with support from NATO and the European Defence Agency. Unlike IDET, it leans toward emerging technology themes, including autonomous systems, robotics, and counter-UAS, alongside closed NATO working group sessions.
fff.global
Planning around the staggered cycles
Because IDET, Partner, IDEB, HEMUS, and BSDA all run biennially but on staggered schedules, at least one typically lands somewhere in the region most years, even though none repeats annually itself. MSPO, running every year in Poland, functions as the reliable annual anchor regardless of where the others fall in their cycle.
Frequently asked questions
Which CEE defense trade show is the largest? MSPO in Kielce, Poland, is the largest defense trade fair in Central and Eastern Europe, drawing more than 34,000 visitors and over 625 exhibitors in 2026, and it runs annually rather than biennially.
When is the next IDET exhibition in Brno? May 26-28, 2027.
Is Partner in Belgrade an annual or biennial event? Biennial. The 12th edition took place in September 2025, putting the 13th edition in 2027.
