DroneX 2026: Europe’s uncrewed industry delivers two standout days at ExCeL London

DroneX returned to ExCeL London on 29–30 September 2026 and confirmed its place as the meeting point for Europe’s uncrewed systems sector. Across three halls, more than 300 exhibitors, four themed conference stages and a packed networking programme, the message from the show floor was clear: drones have moved firmly from promise to deployment.

A show built around real-world use

This year’s event, run as part of the wider Uncrewed Tech Expo, was organised into four clearly defined sectors, making it easy for visitors to find what mattered to them:

• Commercial – inspection, surveying, delivery, agriculture, energy and infrastructure
• Emergency services – search and rescue, blue-light response, coastguard, mountain rescue and border patrol
• Military and defence – ISR, counter-UAS, training systems and dual-use technology
• Future of flight – eVTOL, drone delivery, advanced air mobility, autonomous logistics, and uncrewed maritime and ground systems

That breadth was reflected in who walked the aisles. Drone operators and OEMs mixed with regulators, government agencies, defence organisations and infrastructure owners, with backing from bodies including the UK CAA, NATS, Network Rail, National Highways, the Ministry of Defence, the Home Office and several police forces. ARPAS-UK joined as headline industry partner.

Keynotes that tackled the big questions

The conference programme ran to more than 50 hours of content, alongside around 150 show-floor seminars, spread across Keynote, Commercial, Surveillance and Future of Flight stages. Senior speakers from the UK CAA, NATO, Balfour Beatty and the National Police Air Service headed the keynote line-up, which focused on the issues that will shape the next few years: BVLOS operations, airspace integration, regulation, drone delivery, dual-use platforms and closer collaboration between government and industry.

Where the deals got done

DroneX Connect, the networking café on the main show floor sponsored by Wing, gave visitors a dedicated space for meetings away from the stands. Nearby, the Geeksvana Industry Hub hosted interviews and conversations with exhibitors, speakers and industry figures, and the evening networking reception after day one kept conversations going well beyond closing time.

Innovation Awards

The DroneX Innovation Awards once again gave shortlisted exhibitors the chance to pitch their technology live, Dragon’s Den-style, to a panel of senior industry judges. This year’s nominees included Kitemill, Arkensight, H2MOF and SiMa.ai.

The verdict

With over 4,000 professionals expected through the doors, a strong turnout from public-sector and defence buyers, and a programme grounded in operational reality rather than hype, DroneX 2026 did exactly what the sector needed it to do. For anyone working in or buying into uncrewed systems, it remains the one show in the UK calendar not to miss.