A record number of participants from all over the world attended IDS26 at HCA Airport this week, where defence, European resilience and operational drone solutions set the agenda.
One thing is clear following this year’s International Drone Show at HCA Airport: drones are no longer a technology primarily associated with futuristic scenarios and pilot projects. On the contrary, the drone sector is now rapidly moving towards becoming a central part of Europe’s security policy landscape and critical infrastructure.
This was highlighted at IDS26, which this week brought together just over 1,500 participants from 40 countries at HCA Airport — the highest number in the event’s history.
Both the conference programme and the numerous live demonstrations showed that the drone industry has evolved significantly in recent years: from demonstration projects and trials to concrete operational solutions that are already being used in practice in sectors such as defence, energy, logistics and critical infrastructure.
“If you compare it with just a few years ago, it’s clear how quickly the drone sector has developed. Previously, the focus was very much on potential and future prospects. Now, discussions are increasingly centred on production, robustness, supply chains and, not least, business. This says a lot about where the drone industry stands right now – and it is precisely this development that we are bringing stakeholders together to discuss at IDS, where the focus is on technology, applications and the business opportunities that come with them,” says Søren Elmer Kristensen, CEO of Odense Robotics, which, together with the national drone test centre UAS Denmark Test Centre, is behind IDS.
Safety and robustness on the agenda
At the same time, the war in Ukraine and broader geopolitical developments have accelerated the need for European drone capabilities and new partnerships between industry, research and defence.
At IDS26, the focus was, amongst other things, on Europe’s opportunities to build stronger and more independent drone value chains — in the areas of software, manufacturing and critical components.
“As a test centre, we are seeing a significantly greater need to be able to test and develop solutions that are closer to operational reality. This is particularly true in the collaboration between industry and the defence sector, where innovation cycles have become much shorter than before. This places new demands on the interaction between developers, test environments and authorities, and it is this development, amongst other things, that a unifying industry event such as IDS helps to support,” says Michael Larsen, Head of UAS Denmark Test Centre.
Denmark has become an international hub for drones
The keen interest in IDS is clear evidence that the drone community on Funen is attracting increasing international attention in recent years.
The presence of the UAS Denmark Test Centre, a strong ecosystem of drone companies and start-ups supported by Odense Robotics, as well as the establishment of the Danish Armed Forces’ drone centre in Odense, underlines – according to Odense’s mayor – that Funen has become a European hub for the development, testing and application of drone technology.
“It is gratifying that the International Drone Show is once again helping to put both Odense and Denmark on the map as one of Europe’s leading hubs for drones and autonomous technologies. When companies, investors, researchers and authorities from across the globe gather here on Funen, it not only strengthens our international position within robotics and drone technology in Europe – it also contributes to the continued development of an industry with significant growth potential for both Odense and Denmark,” says Peter Rahbæk Juel, Mayor of Odense.
Next year’s International Drone Show has already been scheduled and will take place on 2–3 June 2027.
Facts about IDS26
IDS26 took place on 3 and 4 June at HCA Airport. The event featured, amongst other things:
- Approx. 1,500 participants
- 40 countries represented
- 170 exhibitors
- 26 live demonstrations
- 65 speakers
The conference programme focused, amongst other things, on:
- Defence and security
- Critical infrastructure
- European drone production
- Advanced Air Mobility
- Integration of drones into European airspace
- The use of drones in the energy, offshore and logistics sectors