The beginning of Russian aggression in Ukraine in 2014 led to an annual increase in the budget for defense and security, recovery of military infrastructure, development of the defense industry, expansion of the military technical cooperation and boost in the country¡¯s defense capabilities and security.
A number of defense products, which were first demonstrated at the exhibition by Ukrainian manufacturers or were showcased by foreign partners, are now in operation by the Ukrainian Army in the war in Eastern Ukraine.
For 8 years, experience gained in combat has always been accompanied by the upgrades in the existing weapon systems and the development of new ones.
Arms and Security is a unique event due to the fact that in the face of long term restrictions on the supply of defense technology to Ukraine, Ukrainian defense companies have developed a lot of combat proven products, and most of them can only be seen at the exhibition. As a rule, from 5 to 15 Ukrainian exhibitors take part in defense exhibitions abroad, while Arms and Security serves as a platform for approximately 250 Ukrainian companies.
In recent years, Ukrainian defense market has been increasingly drawing attention of global defense powerhouses, with Lockheed Martin, Embraer, Aselsan, Roketsan, L3Harris, Tatra and others having booths at the previous editions of the exhibition.
This interest stems from the implementation of defense procurement reform and Ukraine¡¯s acquisition of the necessary capabilities to meet the criteria for NATO membership.