IDS26 Highlights Growing Role of Operational Drone Solutions

International Drone Show 2026 (IDS26) drew a record international audience to Odense this week, highlighting how drone technologies are increasingly moving beyond pilot programmes into operational roles across defence, infrastructure and industry.

Hosted at HCA Airport, the International Drone Show attracted more than 1,500 participants from 40 countries, making it the largest edition of the event to date. The programme featured 170 exhibitors, 65 speakers and 26 live demonstrations spanning defence, energy, logistics and critical infrastructure applications.

The event reflected how rapidly the drone industry has evolved in recent years. Rather than focusing primarily on pilot projects and future concepts, discussions increasingly centred on operational deployment, production, supply chains and the growing role of drones within Europe’s security and critical infrastructure landscape.

The conference programme focused on topics including defence and security, critical infrastructure, European drone production, Advanced Air Mobility, the integration of drones into European airspace, and the use of drones in energy, offshore and logistics applications.

Søren Elmer Kristensen, CEO of Odense Robotics, which co-organises IDS together with the national drone test centre, UAS Denmark Test Center, commented, “If you compare it with just a few years ago, it is clear how quickly the drone sector has developed. Previously, the focus was very much on potential and future prospects. Now, conversations are increasingly about 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.“

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, attention was also focused on Europe’s opportunities to build stronger and more independent drone value chains across software, production and critical components.

Michael Larsen, Head of UAS Denmark Test Center, added,”As a test centre, we are seeing a significantly greater need to be able to test and develop solutions closer to operational reality. This is particularly true in the collaboration between industry and defence, 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, among other things, that a unifying industry event such as IDS helps to support.”

The strong international interest in IDS reflects growing attention on the Danish drone ecosystem. This is driven in part by the presence of UAS Denmark Test Center, a strong ecosystem of drone companies and startups supported by Odense Robotics, and the establishment of the Danish Armed Forces’ Drone Center in Odense. Together, these strengths have helped position Denmark, and Odense in particular, as an international hub for drone innovation, testing and deployment.

The next International Drone Show will take place on 2–3 June 2027.