> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.adriadefense.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Latvia Dual-Use Export Forum Targets NATO Supply Chains - URL: https://www.adriadefense.com/latvia-dual-use-export-forum-targets-nato-supply-chains/ - Published: 2026-09-01T05:30:52.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-01T05:30:51.000Z - Description: Latvia will bring companies from 19 countries to Rēzekne on September 6-7 for defense technology demonstrations, B2B meetings and dual-use export talks. - Author: AdriaDefense Desk - Tags: Events, Latvia, CEE, Defense Industry, Dual-Use Technology Latvia will host the second Latvian Dual-Use Export Forum in Rēzekne on September 6-7, bringing defense and dual-use companies, investors, suppliers and system integrators to the country's eastern region near NATO's border with Russia and Belarus. More than 150 participants from 19 countries had confirmed attendance by August 11, while organizers expect the event to involve more than 170 participants, approximately 50 international companies and 120 Latvian businesses. The program combines technology demonstrations on September 6 with the main export forum at the GORS cultural center on September 7\. Organizers plan more than 180 structured business-to-business meetings as Latvia seeks to connect its growing defense technology sector with international customers, suppliers and NATO and European Union industrial networks. The Latvian Exporters Association The Red Jackets is organizing the forum with the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, known as LIAA, Latvia's Ministry of Economics and Ministry of Defense. The event follows the inaugural forum in Liepāja in 2025, which attracted more than 140 company representatives and generated more than 125 meetings between Latvian and international businesses. ### Rēzekne program combines demonstrations with export matchmaking The September 6 program will include defense technology demonstrations on land, water and in the air, according to LIAA. Organizers have also planned industry site visits and networking activities before the main forum. On September 7, participants will move to the main forum program, including discussions on dual-use exports and defense industry opportunities, an exhibition area and structured matchmaking. LIAA describes potential participants as technology companies, government institutions, investors, suppliers and NATO and EU system integrators. The geographic choice is significant. Rēzekne lies in Latgale, Latvia's easternmost region, and organizers have explicitly positioned the city as part of NATO's eastern flank security environment. The event is therefore more than a conventional export promotion forum. Latvia is attempting to connect civilian technology companies with defense demand while simultaneously expanding the domestic supplier base available to larger European and NATO contractors. ### Latvia expands its domestic defense technology base The forum comes during a broader expansion of Latvia's defense industry. The Ministry of Defense reported in April that the country had at least 240 companies with military or dual-use products, including 123 licensed companies, a 29% increase compared with 2024\. Engineering services, information and communications technology, and drones and autonomous systems were the three largest product and service categories identified by the ministry. Latvia is backing that industrial expansion with public spending. Its 2026 defense budget allocates €25.9 million to defense industry and innovation programs, including grants for military and dual-use technologies, startup support and the NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic, or DIANA, accelerator center Unilab Defence. At least €100 million is planned for the Drone Coalition and unmanned systems development in 2026\. The government has also set a target for up to 30% of major defense procurement expenditure to remain in the Latvian economy. Latvia's overall defense spending is set at approximately 4.9% of gross domestic product in 2026, with 5% projected for 2027\. That spending trajectory creates a larger domestic market for companies that previously concentrated primarily on civilian technology or exports. [Latvia's €3.5 billion EU SAFE financing](https://www.adriadefense.com/latvia-secures-eur3-5-billion-safe-loan-to-expand-defense-procurement-and-industrial-capacity/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) ### Unmanned systems show Latvia's export ambitions Unmanned and counter-unmanned systems provide one of the clearest examples of Latvia's attempt to turn domestic technology development into an export industry. Latvian company Origin Robotics has moved its Blaze interceptor unmanned aerial vehicle beyond the domestic market. France selected Blaze in 2026, with Janes reporting that deliveries had begun by June and that local French assembly and manufacturing were planned with defense technology integrator DSV. Sweden, Belgium and Estonia have also received or ordered the system. Latvia has simultaneously expanded military testing of unmanned ground systems. The Latvian Armed Forces have used the locally developed Natrix NXU unmanned ground vehicle since May 2026, while NATO's Crystal Arrow exercise provided a venue for testing Latvian and Ukrainian ground robotics. Defense News also reported in June that the Sēlija training area is hosting NATO testing of counter-drone technologies, including Latvian and other European interceptor systems. The combination of military testing, domestic procurement and access to operational lessons from Ukraine gives Latvian companies a pathway from development to military evaluation and potentially export contracts. [Latvia's SUBmerge Baltic underwater drone production](https://www.adriadefense.com/latvias-submerge-baltic-scales-underwater-drone-production/?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com) ### Ukraine cooperation adds an industrial testing component Latvia is also building closer links between its defense industry and Ukrainian companies. On July 30, the Ministry of Defense announced memorandums involving government institutions, Baltic Forces Ltd., Ukrainian industry, Riga Technical University and the Latvian Military Technology, Drones and Robotics Association. The cooperation covers unmanned systems manufacturing, technology transfer and development of dual-use technology testing infrastructure in Latvia. That creates a second track alongside export matchmaking: integrating Ukrainian operational experience with Latvian manufacturing, testing and access to European markets. For Latvia, the industrial challenge is now converting growing defense expenditure and technology development into scalable production and international supply-chain positions. The Rēzekne forum is designed around that problem, with structured meetings between smaller technology companies, international partners and system integrators rather than solely technology presentations. ## Sign up for AdriaDefense Daily defense news, analysis and industry intelligence from Central and Southeast Europe. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. ### Questions about the Latvian Dual-Use Export Forum 2026 **When is the Latvian Dual-Use Export Forum 2026?** The event takes place in Rēzekne on September 6-7, 2026\. Defense technology demonstrations are scheduled for September 6, followed by the main forum, exhibition and B2B program on September 7\. **How many companies and participants are expected?** Organizers plan for more than 170 participants, including approximately 50 international companies and 120 Latvian businesses, with more than 180 structured B2B meetings. More than 150 participants from 19 countries had already confirmed attendance by August 11\. **Why is the forum being held in Rēzekne?** Organizers selected Rēzekne because of its location in Latvia's eastern Latgale region on NATO and the European Union's eastern frontier. The location connects the forum's focus on defense technology, resilience and supply chains directly with Latvia's security requirements. **How large is Latvia's defense industry?** Latvia's Ministry of Defense counted at least 240 companies with military or dual-use products as of April 2026\. The country had 123 licensed defense companies, 29% more than in 2024\. The September forum will provide an early indication of whether Latvia can translate this expanding technology base into deeper positions in European and NATO supply chains. With domestic defense spending rising, EU financing available for procurement and Latvian unmanned systems already reaching foreign customers, export integration has become an increasingly important part of Riga's defense-industrial policy.