Your Guide to MSPO 2026: What to Know Before Kielce Opens

Poland's defense budget has become the gravitational center of European procurement. At 4.7% of GDP and a modernization pipeline exceeding €23 billion through 2030, Warsaw is the continent's most active buyer of defense hardware. That reality turns MSPO, the International Defence Industry Exhibition in Kielce, into something more than a trade fair: it is the floor where procurement decisions connect with the companies competing to fulfill them. The 34th edition opens September 8 and runs through September 11.

Scale and Logistics

This is the largest MSPO in the event's 34-year history. Exhibitors from 43 countries are confirmed, and for the first time the exhibition space sold out entirely ahead of opening day. A newly built hall adds 15,500 square metres of floor space (plus roughly 3,000 square metres of mezzanine), bringing total indoor capacity to 53,500 square metres across nine halls. An outdoor area hosts armoured vehicles, heavy equipment and live capability displays as part of the parallel 27th Armed Forces Exhibition.

Show hours run 10:00 to 17:00 from Tuesday to Thursday (September 8-10) and 10:00 to 15:00 on closing day, September 11. Visitor registration is open through Targi Kielce's portal, with both paid tickets and free invitation codes available.

Who Is on the Floor

The five largest foreign contingents by company count tell the story of who sees Poland as a priority market. Canada, this year's Lead Nation, leads with 180 companies, the largest national showcase in MSPO history. Germany follows with 89 companies, then the United States and Australia each with 53, and the United Kingdom with 38. Official visiting delegations are confirmed from Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the Baltic states and Ukraine, among others.

Among the global primes, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Rheinmetall, Leonardo, MBDA, Hanwha and Hyundai Rotem all have floor presence. That is not surprising given Poland's active programs: K2 tanks, K9 howitzers, F-35s, Apache helicopters, and FA-50 jets are all in various stages of delivery or production, and the suppliers behind them treat Kielce as an annual checkpoint with their biggest European customer.

World Premieres and Debuts

Several exhibitors are staging global or Polish firsts at this edition.

Poland's WB Group will publicly unveil GLADIUS II, a new-generation unmanned jet system with reduced radar detectability, extended range up to several hundred kilometres, and increased speed. The aircraft is reportedly already in flight testing. South Korea's Airbility has chosen MSPO for the world premiere of its KAMD counter-drone system, built to intercept unmanned aerial threats in GNSS-denied environments. Transbit is debuting the R-460W and BAZ-20P, Poland's first radio line operating in the Ka band (36-37 GHz), designed for high-capacity tactical data transmission. From the Czech-Slovak CSG group, Tatra Defence is bringing the Tadeas 4x4 armoured vehicle to Poland for the first time, alongside the Tatra Force 8x8 (Polish premiere) and Excalibur Army's Patriot 4x4 equipped with the Alakran mortar system.

The Regional Map: CEE and SEE on the Show Floor

MSPO draws the world's largest defense companies, but it also functions as the primary international stage for the region's own manufacturers. Here is who from Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe is showing up and what they are bringing.

Croatia has a notably strong presence. Osijek-based FPV drone manufacturer Orqa is exhibiting at stand 5-B02. The company's systems are already in service with the Croatian Armed Forces following a recent procurement deal, and Croatia has positioned itself alongside the Netherlands and Latvia as a co-lead within the EU's Drone Coordination Group for joint procurement. Galko MPS, a Croatian maker of tactical and protective equipment for military, police and security forces, is also confirmed with a new product line-up.

Czech Republic and Slovakia are well represented through the CSG group (Czechoslovak Group), exhibiting across several subsidiaries at Hall 4, stand E20 and outdoor areas 2Z-07 and 6Z-07. The lineup spans Tatra Export, Excalibur Army, Tatra Defence, MSM Group, AviaNera Technologies and CSG Polska. The ammunition footprint alone is significant: Slovak manufacturer ZVS is bringing NATO-standard 155 mm artillery rounds, while VOP Novaky will show mortar ammunition in 60, 81 and 120 mm calibres. Vyvoj Martin will present mobile containerised command workstations.

Turkey is bringing serious hardware. STM will showcase NETA autonomous underwater vehicles, KARGU loitering munitions, the TOGAN UAV and warship designs. MKE, the country's oldest defense manufacturer operating under the Turkish Ministry of National Defence, is also exhibiting.

Germany, with 89 companies the second-largest foreign contingent, covers a wide range. Key names include Rheinmetall, KMW, Materna Virtual Solution (secure classified-information handling up to NATO RESTRICTED), HETEK (autonomous container logistics), Sill Optics (night-vision and thermal imaging), and SPINNER (rotary joints for radar and communications).

South Korea's presence reflects its status as Poland's largest current arms supplier. Beyond the Airbility KAMD premiere, the broader Korean industrial footprint (Hanwha, Hyundai Rotem) is directly tied to the K2/K9/FA-50 programmes reshaping Poland's force structure.

Spain's Indra will bring its NEMUS AESA radar alongside electronic warfare and counter-UAS systems. MBDA (France/UK) is on the floor demonstrating its missile portfolio, including the CAMM family.

The Conference Programme

MSPO is not just exhibition halls. The parallel programme includes several events worth tracking.

The Canadian Lead Nation Conference (September 9) is the anchor event, tied to Canada's push to position its defense industry as a European partner. A National Scientific Conference on Dual-Use Technologies addresses how civil-origin technologies are being integrated into defense, a topic with direct relevance for tech companies exploring defense market entry. The 1st International Forum of Societal Resilience Leaders brings together military, government and civil-society speakers on crisis preparedness.

The DEFENDER awards ceremony recognizes the best products on the show floor, alongside the President of Poland's Award and ministerial distinctions.

Why This Edition Matters More Than Usual

MSPO 2026 is the first edition held under the EU's SAFE programme (Security Action for Europe), which allocates over €43 billion to Poland alone. Warsaw has already received a €6 billion advance and signed roughly 40 contracts covering cryptographic systems, unmanned aerial vehicles, vehicles and naval vessels. Under SAFE rules, funded equipment must contain at least 65% EU/EEA or Ukrainian components, which fundamentally reshapes procurement logic and opens doors for European manufacturers that can demonstrate EU-origin production.

For any company making ammunition, vehicle components, electronics or dual-use technology inside the EU, that 65% threshold is not an abstract policy point. It is a procurement filter that puts European suppliers on a more competitive footing against non-EU primes. MSPO is the venue where those conversations happen.

Want the Full Picture?

Adria Defense is compiling a curated list of the 50 companies most worth visiting at MSPO 2026, from regional players like Orqa to global names pushing into the CEE and SEE market. Get the full list before the show opens.