FEINDEF 27, Spain’s international defence and security exhibition, has booked 94% of its floor space seven months before opening. The fifth edition runs May 18-20, 2027 at IFEMA Madrid.
The numbers show how fast European defence demand has grown. The show is expected to exceed 89,000 square metres, 46% more than in 2025. More than 746 exhibitors have confirmed, up 19%, and about 37% of them are first-timers. Over 250 exhibitors, roughly a third, come from abroad, spread across 14 international pavilions.
Where the growth comes from
A 46% jump in floor space against a 19% rise in exhibitors means existing companies are taking much bigger stands. That fits the order books. Spanish and European prime contractors are sitting on years of work after NATO members raised spending targets, and a trade fair stand is where they show it.
The first-timer share matters too. More than a third of exhibitors are new to the show, which points to suppliers from outside the traditional defence base: electronics firms, software houses, drone makers and component makers moving into a market that’s suddenly paying.
The organisers listed the themes. Cyber defence, autonomous systems, space, artificial intelligence and secure communications. Two new formats target the same shift. Innova for Def&Sec gives start-ups and emerging technology companies their own space, and Hub Talento connects students and young professionals with the industry, which is short of engineers.
Who was in the room
The edition was presented at Madrid’s Rafael del Pino Auditorium. Spain’s Secretary of State for Defence, María Amparo Valcarce, chaired it. Ángel Olivares, president of Fundación Feindef, hosted, with the heads of the industry associations TEDAE and AESMIDE alongside. All of them framed the defence industry as an engine for jobs and industrial capacity, which is the political case Madrid has been making as it raises its own budget.
For buyers, the takeaway is simple. If you want a stand at FEINDEF 27, there’s 6% of the floor left.