Counter-UAS and air defence in focus: “DroneVation & Defence 2026” continues to grow in Vienna

“DroneVation & Defence 2026” in Vienna has grown further, and impressively so: more than 1,000 visitors attended, around 80 companies exhibited and over 50 speakers appeared on two stages. The premiere last year was already a success. This time the symposium was once again a highly sought-after industry meeting – and finally became the platform on which armed forces, authorities, industry, research and start-ups discussed the future of drones and counter-UAS.

Exhibitors included major industry names such as Rheinmetall, Quantum Systems, Shield AI, Thales, Lockheed Martin, General Atomics, Aaronia, Elbit Systems, Frequentis, Securiton, Rafael and numerous other companies; the main focus, however, was on the exchange of expertise. The range of topics covered military procurement, multi-domain operations, electronic warfare and the protection of critical infrastructure, as well as loitering munitions, counter-UAS against unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) systems and the operational lessons from Ukraine.

Drones are a fixed part of security policy

Jürgen Zacharias, editor-in-chief and publisher of Militär Aktuell, draws the following conclusion: “DroneVation 2026 has shown how great the need for exchange between armed forces, industry, research and authorities has become. Drones and counter-drone defence have long ceased to be a niche topic; they are a central element of modern security and defence policy.”

Matthias Heigl, managing director of Militär Aktuell, also highlights the development of the format: “The mix of international corporations, innovative start-ups and specialised suppliers made DroneVation 2026 particularly exciting. This very diversity is what Europe currently needs in the defence and security sector.”

Video message from the Defence Minister at the opening

Jürgen Zacharias opened the event together with the moderators Marcel Taschwer and Stefan Tesch. Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner addressed the audience by video message and stressed that the Austrian Armed Forces (Bundesheer) are continuously investing in modern capabilities – both for operations from the air and against threats from the air. As a concrete example, she cited the procurement of 36 Skyranger systems from Rheinmetall Air Defence for the Pandur Evolution, in cooperation with GDELS-Steyr. She thereby underlined that procurement, industrial value creation and operational necessity are increasingly being considered together.

“Due to the geopolitical situation worldwide, both the threats posed by unmanned systems and the nature of new warfare have changed considerably and moved into the centre of attention more than ever,” said Tanner. Referring to the many Austrian companies represented at “DroneVation & Defence”, she added: “This also shows that Austria's red-white-red industry and economy have great strengths in this field as well.”

How the Bundesheer is developing its capabilities

Arnold Kammel, Secretary General of the Federal Ministry of Defence, then gave a keynote. He outlined the strategic framework of the day and put two points at the centre: the role drones and their defeat play in security policy, and what current conflicts teach.

Lieutenant General Harald Vodosek, Armaments Director of the Bundesheer, followed on from this. He set out how technological innovation, multi-domain operations and new threat scenarios determine the Bundesheer's capability development in the investment plan “Bundesheer 2032+” – from air defence and drones to networked, resilient structures. Vodosek announced: “This year a contract will be concluded for a comprehensive counter-drone system. In addition, with the new procurement of the M-346 jet trainer we will receive a system that can also be used against drones within a certain flight envelope. So we are preparing well – and getting better every day.”

Air warfare, multi-domain operations and experience from conflicts

It was already clear in the morning: the debate has long ceased to be about individual platforms; it is about how sensors, effectors, command, data processing and industrial scaling interact.

US Navy General Bob Harward, who now works in the private sector, spoke by video message. From the perspective of an operational commander, he discussed what drones, counter-drone systems, autonomy and the ability to operate within an alliance mean in future conflicts.

Major General Gerfried Promberger, commander of the Air Force of the Austrian Armed Forces, shed light from his perspective on how military drone operations will develop in future.

Lockheed Martin focused on next-generation air operations, in which the F-35 serves as a networked node in the airspace and can interact with both crewed combat aircraft and unmanned systems. Michael Edelstein, a retired major general of the Israel Defense Forces, reported for Elbit Systems on his experience with MALE platforms in today's conflict zones.

Colonel Markus Reisner, head of the Institute for Officer Training at the Theresian Military Academy, attracted particularly strong interest. Using examples from Ukraine and the Middle East, he made clear how drones are changing tactics and operational tempo and how they are re-weighting cost, mass and precision. The fact that a dedicated Q&A session followed further underlined the relevance of this topic.

Sovereignty through drones

In the afternoon, the German security policy expert Ulrike Franke addressed the renaissance of tethered drones in electronically contested environments. Thomas Rothacher, Deputy Chief of Armaments of the Swiss Armed Forces, explained which capabilities Switzerland is developing today and in future.

In their keynotes, Quantum Systems and Stark, German manufacturers of drones and loitering munitions, addressed, among other things, how unmanned systems can be coordinated in multi-domain operations and what role space-based services play as the foundation of the future unmanned battlefield.

A panel with Ulrike Franke, Colonel Thomas Kettinger, Gili Perl and Richard Weitz, moderated by Mark Pfeiffer of Shield AI, examined how Europe can translate the lessons of current conflicts into a robust doctrine, strategic sovereignty and deterrence that is credible.

Counter-UAS for police, infrastructure and start-ups

At the same time, the second stage focused on governmental, civilian and industrial-policy perspectives. Bernhard Treibenreif, commander of Einsatzkommando Cobra (the Austrian police special operations unit), spoke about the use and defeat of drones in the policing environment. Tobias Lehmann of Rheinmetall Air Defence explained why classic air defence and counter-UAS (C-UAS) must be closely interlinked, and Stephan Kraschansky of Aaronia Austria addressed the rapid development of electronic warfare.

In-depth insight into the drone war in Ukraine

One highlight of the programme was the deep dive “Ukraine Boot Camp – Inside the Ukrainian Drone War”. On stage were Max Pollak, head of the Ukrainian aid organisation 3XM – Green Cross MedEvac, as well as Lieutenant Colonel R. Toni Pfaffenbauer and Mykyta Puz of the 12th Special Forces Brigade “Azov” of the National Guard of Ukraine. Also taking part was Oleksii Rudenko, who commands an air defence unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Closing with the procurers' view

The evening concluded with a fireside talk in which Jürgen Zacharias spoke with the Bundesheer's armaments chief, Lieutenant General Harald Vodosek, and his Swiss “counterpart” Thomas Rothacher. Afterwards, “DroneVation & Defence” offered plenty of room to deepen conversations, network and continue numerous discussions from the stage programme.

The event thus impressively demonstrated how broad the field of unmanned systems has become. In Vienna, experience from the war in Ukraine, military air operations, the defeat of drones, electronic warfare, CBRN reconnaissance, critical infrastructure and its protection, start-up promotion and industrial scaling were visibly interlinked.