World Defense Show 2026 in Riyadh drives defense integration and interoperability.

World Defense Show 2026 will run Feb. 8–12 in Riyadh under royal patronage and advance defense integration and interoperability across air, land, sea, space, and security. The push builds on 2024’s scale (773 exhibitors, 441 delegations, 106,000 visitors) and aligns with Saudi plans to localize defense production under Vision 2030.

World Defense Show 2026 is taking shape with clear parameters set by the organizers and by Saudi Arabia’s defense regulator. According to communications from World Defense Show and the General Authority for Military Industries, the third edition will be held in Riyadh from 8 to 12 February 2026, under royal patronage, with an expanded program aimed at integrating the air, land, sea, space, and security domains. The 2024 edition brought together 773 exhibitors, 441 official delegations from 116 countries, and 106,000 visitors, a scale that frames expectations for what follows. These figures matter because they show a mobilized market and align with GAMI’s plan to localize defense spending under Vision 2030. The show provides the stage, policy sets the script, and industry carries it forward.
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World Defense Show auditorium during a previous edition with expert panel in session (Picture source: WDS)

World Defense Show 2026 is taking shape with clear parameters set by the organizers and by Saudi Arabia’s defense regulator. According to communications from World Defense Show and the General Authority for Military Industries, the third edition will be held in Riyadh from 8 to 12 February 2026, under royal patronage, with an expanded program aimed at integrating the air, land, sea, space, and security domains. The 2024 edition brought together 773 exhibitors, 441 official delegations from 116 countries, and 106,000 visitors, a scale that frames expectations for what follows. These figures matter because they show a mobilized market and align with GAMI’s plan to localize defense spending under Vision 2030. The show provides the stage, policy sets the script, and industry carries it forward.

The organizers highlight a Content Theaters program that runs throughout the week and deliberately focuses on technical problem solving rather than stand marketing. Two tracks form the core. The Future Defense Lab examines how emerging technologies move from concept to operational advantage, while a Saudi Supply Chain track addresses industrial scale-up inside the Kingdom. Daily themes range from translating operational needs into technology choices to the more demanding work of rapidly integrating new systems. The program is advertised as accessible to registered visitors at no extra charge, with a call for papers to attract domain specialists.

KPMG’s role as Knowledge Partner signals a closer link between the material presented and the analysis supporting it. This is relevant for audiences seeking more than product briefings. Sessions are expected to test business cases, address interoperability debt, and evaluate trade-offs in open architectures within sensitive programs. The collaboration aims to extend discussions beyond the show, with selected content reworked into post event feature pieces for wider industry use. The premise is straightforward. Put experts and decision makers in the same room, clarify definitions and timelines, and produce notes that can be applied.

The Future Defense Lab discussions are expected to follow three work strands that match real procurement hurdles. First, requirements capture, which often falters when operational demands are stated too broadly. The aim is to convert mission scenarios into measurable system attributes, whether latency budgets for C2, target data formats for ISR, or integrity and availability thresholds for navigation in contested environments. Second, exploration of disruptive tools such as AI for sensor fusion, robotics for remote logistics, and so called quantum technologies, where near-term use cases involve timing and navigation. Third, high cadence integration, which requires interface control documents that are actually enforced, test datasets that remain attached to the subsystem, and digital engineering pipelines capable of shortening qualification. None of this is flashy, but it is where programs advance or stall.

The Saudi Supply Chain track moves from policy to the workshop floor. The first step is capability mapping: what can be manufactured locally now, what can be assembled, and what must remain imported while competencies build. Participants can expect detailed discussions on licensing pathways, quality management, and export readiness for small and medium sized firms. The next step covers collaboration and technology transfer frameworks that protect intellectual property while enabling replication. The final step concerns scale and sustainment, including supplier qualification, tooling finance, and MRO planning for fleets already in service. This is quiet but central work for genuine localization, consistent with the public objective to localize more than half of defense spending by 2030. Recent official data put the localization rate at 19.35 percent, up from 4 percent in 2018, evidence of momentum and of the distance still to go.

The auditorium programming adds a platform for senior Saudi officials, including Meet the KSA Government sessions. For foreign primes and major equipment suppliers, this is where regulatory nuance and procurement tempo are clarified. For the local industry, it is a chance to align R&D roadmaps with demand signals. Organizers mention expanded features in 2026, with additional domains and live demonstrations, which helps link the discussion rooms to the apron and test areas outside. The model is familiar, and the scale is growing.

Everything points to a single outcome: more interoperable forces able to deploy faster and persist longer. If integration is the theme, the intended effect is information-centric operations in which ISR flows are fused earlier, effectors receive designation with less human induced delay, and C2 is more resilient to spectrum interference. On the sustainment side, local parts production and certified MRO centers aim to reduce downtime and life cycle risk. This does not replace coherent doctrine or training hours, but at the unit level, it yields higher platform availability and fresher mission data. For coalition operations, compatibility improves when interface standards are enforced and trials are shared rather than staged.

Saudi Arabia remains a major buyer on the global scene, yet it is reshaping that posture by reinforcing local manufacturing and requiring industrial participation. Vision 2030 uses defense as a lever for both security and economic diversification, with localization targets that bring investment home. Pressure on maritime security in the Red Sea and the Gulf, together with air and missile threats in evolving theatres, sustains demand for integrated air and missile defense, naval protection of sea lines of communication, and hardened C2 networks. In this context, WDS acts as an agenda setter. The 2022 and 2024 editions concluded with notable volumes of contracts and agreements, which explains why the third edition is already ringed on many calendars. The question is less about another trade week and more about a checkpoint on whether policy and procurement are moving at the pace set by the 2030 timeline.