ADEX 2026 Opens in Azerbaijan With 270 Defense Firms and New Military Systems on Display in Baku.

ADEX 2026 opened in Baku with defense manufacturers, military delegations and government representatives gathering at the Baku Expo Center. The three-day exhibition brings together armored vehicles, weapon systems, drones, ammunition, electronic equipment and command solutions from across the international defense sector.

Running from September 30 to October 2, ADEX 2026 covers a broad range of land, air and electronic defense technologies presented in the Azerbaijani capital. Army Recognition has a team on site to report directly from the exhibition and provide coverage of the main systems and equipment displayed in Baku.

Related Coverage: ADEX 2026 Official News Online and Web TV 

More than 270 companies from 29 countries had confirmed their participation in this year’s edition, the highest number recorded for the exhibition (Picture source: Adex)

Initial footage filmed inside the exhibition halls provides an overview of the scale of this year’s event and the range of equipment being presented. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also visited the exhibition during the morning as part of the opening activities. His presence reflects the attention regularly given to ADEX by the Azerbaijani authorities, as the event has developed into one of the defense industry exhibitions held in the Caucasus.

According to the ADEX organizers, more than 270 companies from 29 countries had confirmed their participation in this year’s edition, the highest number recorded for the exhibition. Fourteen countries are also represented through national pavilions, including Azerbaijan, China, Israel, Italy, Pakistan, Russia, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, the United States and Uzbekistan. The expansion of the event led organizers to open Pavilion 5 of the Baku Expo Center for ADEX for the first time.

The official opening ceremony took place on the morning of September 30 in the presence of government officials, foreign delegations, members of the diplomatic corps and industry representatives. Azerbaijan’s Minister of Defence Industry, Vugar Mustafayev, delivered a message addressed to participants by President Ilham Aliyev. In the statement published by the Azerbaijani presidency, Aliyev focused on the development of domestic industrial capabilities, the presentation of new technologies and the expansion of military-technical cooperation with partner countries.

Azerbaijan has a larger presence within the exhibition this year. For the first time, Pavilion 4 is entirely dedicated to the national display, bringing together public institutions and companies involved in the defense, space, security and technology sectors. This format reflects Baku’s effort to give greater visibility to domestic industrial capabilities alongside foreign companies exhibiting at ADEX.

International participation is another major feature of the 2026 edition. Türkiye remains the most represented foreign country, with defense companies including ASELSAN, Roketsan, Baykar, Turkish Aerospace Industries and Havelsan. European, Middle Eastern and U.S. companies are also present, including Leonardo, EDGE Group, CSG and Indra. This year also marks the announced first participation at ADEX of several U.S. companies, including Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, SIG Sauer, Vantor and Ondas, as well as companies such as Rheinmetall, Rohde & Schwarz and BAE Systems.

The first systems visible inside the halls reflect the range of sectors represented at the exhibition. Air systems and drones, military vehicles, artillery, small arms, missiles, ammunition, electronic warfare equipment and C4ISR solutions are among the main categories identified by the organizers. ADEX therefore brings together equipment intended for land forces as well as systems covering the air, naval, electronic warfare and homeland security domains.

The exhibition also provides a setting for meetings between Azerbaijani institutions, foreign military delegations and participating companies. The September 30 program includes bilateral meetings between exhibitors and international delegations, as well as sessions focused on mine action, artificial intelligence and data management. These exchanges complement the equipment displays and may lead to discussions concerning procurement, industrial cooperation or technology transfers.

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