DEFEA 2025 in Athens will host 436 exhibitors from 37 nations, 18 national pavilions, and 98 official delegations from 45 countries.
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Press Release, Athens, 30 April 2025: The countdown to DEFEA–Defence Exhibition Athens 2025 has commenced. DEFEA 2025 will host 436 exhibitors from 37 nations, 18 national pavilions, and 98 official delegations from 45 countries, reinforcing its role as a pivotal hub for the global defence industry. The preeminent international defence and security exhibition is scheduled for 6–8 May 2025 at the Metropolitan Expo in Athens, under the patronage of the Hellenic Ministry of National Defence.
As the EU prepares to allocate substantial resources to rearm its member states and enhance collective defence, global leaders from the defence sector will gather in Athens to present cutting-edge innovations and technological advancements in defence and security, spanning land, sea, air, cyberspace, and space domains.
To address the evolving security landscape, the EU must significantly increase its defence expenditures, revitalise its defence industry, and establish strategic resilience. These imperatives will be central to DEFEA, which will feature senior officials from the EU and NATO, alongside representatives from organizations such as DG DEFIS, EDA, EDF, EDIDP, OCCAR, NSPA, DIANA, and HCDI, the Greek initiative to foster an innovative defence ecosystem.
DEFEA 2025 will unveil elements of Greece’ s new air defence network, the ‘Shield of Achilles’, a sophisticated, five-layered defence framework that will set a new standard for modern defence. The exhibition will also showcase advanced missile systems and a comprehensive array of precision-guided munitions critical to contemporary warfare. Autonomous systems (UAVs, USVs, UUVs) and counter-drone technologies, capable of neutralising both individual and swarm threats, will be prominently displayed. Additionally, the event will feature helicopters, main battle tanks, armoured vehicles, multiple launch rocket systems, artillery, communication systems, small arms, diverse ammunition types and calibres, guided missiles, strategic weaponry, and a range of other advanced, innovative systems.
DEFEA–Defence Exhibition Athens 2025 serves as a premier global platform for B2B, B2G, and G2G engagements, promoting strategic partnerships and facilitating meaningful dialogue on security challenges, European defence strategy, and the emerging geopolitical landscape.
Among the 98 confirmed delegations, distinguished attendees include senior political and military leaders from numerous countries, including Ministers and Deputy Ministers of Defence from Armenia, Cyprus, Romania, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Montenegro, as well as representatives from France’s Directorate General for Defence Equipment and Investments, Estonia, Saudi Arabia, and 14 other nations. The Hellenic Ministry of National Defence, the General Directorate for Defence Equipment and Investments, the Hellenic Armed Forces General Staff, the Hellenic Police, Fire Service, Coast Guard, and Ministry of Development will also be represented.
Furthermore, senior military officials from the United States, Ukraine, Egypt, Australia, Italy, Spain, Poland, Israel, Jordan, and other nations will attend, alongside defence industry representatives from 16 countries, including Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Lithuania, France, Italy, the Czech Republic, Portugal, and India.
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Beyond the exhibition, DEFEA hosts an array of high-level forums and conferences, including a forward-looking dialogue on European defence cooperation, a range of industry briefings and roundtables with international institutions as well as think tanks, and targeted events that bring together SMEs, innovators, and major defence contractors for strategic networking and collaboration.
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