PARIS — This year's Eurosatory defense show near Paris may be the last chance for European countries to shop for weapons that will still be delivered in time for a possible conflict with Russia, according to the retired French general who heads the company running the event.
With some military experts warning Europe risks a direct confrontation with Russia in the next two years, defense equipment still in development would arrive too late to make a difference at the outbreak of a conflict, said Charles Beaudouin, the CEO of Coges Events, which organizes the show, the largest of its kind by the number of exhibitors.
“It's the show of the rising perils, to use a term that isn't too warlike, but it's clearly a show that is preparing for war,†Beaudouin told Defense News. “The show is the last chance to buy off-the-shelf equipment to be delivered for the war.â€
Several European intelligence services have warned Russia could challenge NATO by 2030, with European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius last November saying the country “can be ready to test†the alliance within two to four years. German Lt. Gen. Alexander Sollfrank told Reuters in November that Russia could launch a “small-scale attack†against NATO territory at any time.
If Europe goes to war in the next two years, it will be with what it either possesses already or can acquire in the coming year, according to Beaudouin, the former head of the French army's equipment office.
“We no longer have time to develop new systems,†the retired general said, arguing that equipment still in development “will arrive too late†should Europe face a military conflict in the next few years. He said the urgency means that wherever European options are not available “we have to go with an American, Korean, Indian or other off-the-shelf solution.â€
Surging defense investment means Eurosatory is bigger than ever this year, with the number of exhibitors rising 30% to more than 2,600, and 80% of the defense firms at the show from European NATO countries. While French exhibitors typically make up more than a third of the show, there will be around 180 U.S. companies and some 220 German companies this year, Beaudouin said.
One of the main themes of Eurosatory 2026 will be new weapons on offer, including drones with longer ranges and greater payloads as well as new proposals for ground-launched, long-range missiles. With concerns about long-range missile threats, including from Iran, the show will also feature countermeasures such as a Thales system similar to Israel's Iron Dome, Beaudouin said.
“Europe, like the United States, will have to equip itself with broad missile defense, including of course hypersonic missile interceptors,†Beaudouin said.
He cited MBDA as one of the exhibitors working on hypersonic technology, while for the missile threat, both the French-Italian SAMP/T air-defense system and the U.S. Patriot system will be on display at the show.
Israel's presence will be restricted to defensive arms following a French government decision, with firms only able to exhibit air-defense systems, including those against drones and ballistic missiles, the general said. “So there will indeed be Israeli companies at the show, showcasing areas where they excel and for which there is very strong demand from all nations.â€
The drone segment at this year's edition will feature more autonomous systems, particularly in aerial and maritime drones, according to Beaudouin. He said much of the European and U.S. offerings remain focused on “large, very expensive platforms†whereas the experience from Ukraine shows drones are lost very quickly, with that country instead focusing on “extremely basic†platforms.
Beaudouin said that with 80 Ukrainian companies present at this year's Eurosatory, compared to ten in 2024, “we can be sure we have the full range of state-of-the-art Ukrainian solutions.†The Ukrainian firms will include Fire Point, displaying its Flamingo cruise missile and long-range drones that are hitting Russia, while drone swarms will be another theme, he said.
“Those are capabilities that Europeans don't have and that they need to buy off the shelf right away,†Beaudouin said. “We need to focus more on emulating the Ukrainians than on developing our own solutions, given how far behind we are compared to them.â€
After Eurosatory 2024 saw the widespread appearance of armed drones, this year's defining feature will be AI-enabled autonomy, according to the CEO. “We're accepting the idea that we're moving more and more toward autonomous weapon systems, we have fewer ethical concerns on the subject, we're driven by the need to be effective.â€
French general staff visiting Eurosatory will be interested in seeing how Ukraine manages to keep costs in check, with unsophisticated, mass-produced weapons that can strike at a distance, according to Beaudouin. He said the question for companies such as Thales and MBDA is how they can offer systems that are efficient, but with fewer bells and whistles.
This year's show features a surge in the number of drone and counter-drone manufacturers, including companies offering drones “that look pretty rough, they're really rugged,†but which are expendable and have ranges of 300 or 600 kilometers.
For intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance drones, the trend is for systems that are “much more rugged†than platforms such as Safran's Patroller or General Atomics's MQ-9 Reaper, which “work very well in a permissive environment†but don't survive in contested airspace, he said.
Eurosatory will feature counter-drone radars that can track hundreds of targets simultaneously, using AI to process the data and pick out targets, “with systems where automation is increasingly taking precedence over human intervention because we don't have time to react.â€
The show will also feature “significantly more†proposals for ammunition and weapons manufacturing lines than in 2024, according to Beaudouin.
Europe faces challenges to scale up production, which is why Volkswagen attending Eurosatory for the first time this year is “very interesting,†because the company can bring automotive-industry practices into defense manufacturing, the general said.
A major trend at Eurosatory 2026 will be what Beaudouin called “the militarization of deep tech,†with disruptive innovation entering the military domain, ranging from artificial intelligence and cloud computing to nanotechnology and quantum technology, as well as the emergence of a private space-flight industry, or new space, with micro-satellites and reusable launchers.
The show will feature AI-based solutions for decision making “throughout the military chain of command, from the four-star general all the way down to the soldier,†Beaudouin said. Technology on show at Eurosatory will include deployable data centers in containers, the first offers for quantum sensors, as well as micro satellites and reusable space launchers.
The show will see more robust and cheaper systems, with Ukraine's experience highlighting the lack of operational availability of complex systems such as the Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled howitzer and Leopard tanks, even if manufacturers will continue to showcase their bespoke high-end systems, according to Beaudouin.
Eurosatory also speaks to how Europe's defense industry remains fragmented, with at least twenty to thirty armored-vehicle manufacturers at the show, according to Beaudouin.
One novelty this year will be a section dedicated to banks and investors with 15 exhibitors, which the general called a first for a defense trade show.
“The days when banks didn't want to finance defense are over,†Beaudouin said. “We've realized that there are democracies in danger and autocracies that are dangerous, and banks are beginning to understand they must support this effort.â€
Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.
