Drone and Robotics Event Calendar: Every Expo, Conference, and Trade Show
The complete calendar of drone, robotics, and uncrewed-systems events for 2026 and 2027: dates, locations, and what each show is actually for. Updated as organizers announce and change dates.
Last updated August 16, 2026 · Kept current by the DroneXL newsroom
The short answer: the events worth planning your year around are AUVSI XPONENTIAL (May 11 to 14, 2026 in Detroit; May 17 to 20, 2027 in Miami Beach) for the industry at large, Commercial UAV Expo for enterprise operators, IACP in October for public safety, and CES in January for the consumer and enterprise technology view. In 2027 add the odd-year heavyweights: the Paris Air Show in June and DSEI in London in September. Everything below is sorted by month so you can plan travel, call-for-speaker deadlines, and budget in one pass.
This calendar covers drone, robotics, counter-UAS, and defense-adjacent events worldwide, across 2026 and 2027. It is maintained in place: when an organizer moves a date or opens registration, this page changes rather than being replaced.
Think we missed one? If you organize a drone, robotics, or aerospace event that belongs here, send us the details and we will add it.
The 2026 calendar, month by month
January 2026
| Date | Event | Location | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 6-9 | CES 2026 | Las Vegas, NV | Consumer & Enterprise Tech |
| Jan 11-13 | Imaging USA | Nashville, TN | Photography & Aerial Imaging |
| Jan 13-15 | Intl. Armoured Vehicles | London, UK | Ground Robotics/C-UAS |
| Jan 20-22 | UMEX 2026 | Abu Dhabi, UAE | Unmanned Systems & Defense |
| Jan 20-23 | SHOT Show 2026 | Las Vegas, NV | Tactical UAS & C-UAS |
| Jan 27-28 | Future Indirect Fires Summit | Arlington, VA | Precision Fires & UAS |
February 2026
| Date | Event | Location | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2-3 | UAV Technology USA | Arlington, VA | Military & Defense UAVs |
| Feb 3-8 | Singapore Airshow | Singapore | Global Aerospace & Defense |
| Feb 8-12 | World Defense Show | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Major Global Defense Expo |
| Feb 10-12 | SAWS 2026 | Fort Walton, FL | Special Air Warfare |
| Feb 10-12 | WEST 2026 | San Diego, CA | Naval Tech & Robotics |
| Feb 11-12 | NC Adv. Mobility Symposium | Raleigh, NC | AAM & UAS Innovation |
| Feb 16-18 | Geo Week 2026 | Denver, CO | Lidar & Geospatial UAS |
| Feb 18-19 | Joint Fires Summit | United States | Tactical Precision/UAS |
| Feb 23-25 | AFA Warfare Symposium | Aurora, CO | Air Force Technology |
| Feb 24-26 | Intl. Military Helicopter | London, UK | Vertical Lift & UAS |
| Feb 25-26 | Chatham House Defense | London, UK | Security & UAS Policy |
| Feb 25-27 | Drone Show Korea | Busan, S. Korea | Asia’s Premier UAS Expo |
March 2026
| Date | Event | Location | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3-4 | Loitering Munitions Summit | United States | Tactical Strike UAS |
| Mar 4-5 | Disasters Expo Miami | Miami, FL | SAR & Disaster Response |
| Mar 9-11 | Future Soldier Technology | London, UK | Dismounted Robotics/UAS |
| Mar 9-12 | VERTICON (formerly Heli-Expo) | Atlanta, GA | Vertical Lift & eVTOL/AAM |
| Mar 10-11 | NACON (DRONERESPONDERS) | Williamsburg, VA | Public Safety UAS |
| Mar 10-12 | Oceanology International | London, UK | Underwater Drones/ROVs |
| Mar 10-12 | embedded world 2026 | Nuremberg, DE | UAS Computing/Hardware |
| Mar 10-12 | Security & Policing | London, UK | Gov. Global Security/UAS |
| Mar 10-12 | RPAS in Australian Skies | Australia | Regulatory/Commercial UAS |
| Mar 10-13 | Amsterdam Drone Week | Amsterdam, NL | Urban Air Mobility (UAM) |
| Mar 11-13 | Dronitaly | Bologna, Italy | Civil & Commercial Drones |
| Mar 24 | European Drone Forum | Germany | EU UAS Regulations |
| Mar 24-26 | XPONENTIAL Europe | Düsseldorf, DE | Unmanned Systems |
| Mar 24-26 | AUSA Global Force | Huntsville, AL | Military Robotics |
| Mar 24-26 | DEFSEC West 2026 | Canada | Aerospace & Defense |
| Mar 25-26 | BAPCO 2026 | Coventry, UK | Public Safety Communications |
| Mar 25-27 | Asia Pacific Maritime | Singapore | Marine Tech & USVs |
| Mar 31-Apr 1 | Drones & Uncrewed Asia | Singapore | Commercial UAS Hub |
| Mar 31-Apr 2 | Military Flight Training | Switzerland | Training & Simulation |
April 2026
| Date | Event | Location | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7-9 | CAF Outlooks 2026 | Canada | Canadian Armed Forces Tech |
| Apr 8-9 | Geospatial & Space Forum | UAE | Intelligence & Innovation |
| Apr 8-9 | Unmanned & Autonomous Summit | United States | Defense Policy & UAS |
| Apr 13-15 | Military Robotics & Autonomous Systems | London, UK | Allied Defense Robotics |
| Apr 14-16 | Undersea Defence Tech (UDT) | London, UK | UUVs & Maritime Defense |
| Apr 14-19 | SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo | Lakeland, FL | Aerospace & Airshow |
| Apr 15-17 | Army Aviation Mission Summit | Nashville, TN | Army Air Tech & UAS |
| Apr 18-22 | NAB Show 2026 | Las Vegas, NV | Media & Photography Drones |
| Apr 19-22 | Sea Air Space 2026 | National Harbor, MD | Maritime Defense Tech |
| Apr 20-22 | Counter UAS Technology Europe | London, UK | C-UAS & Tactical EW |
| Apr 21-23 | Commercial UAV Expo Europe | Amsterdam, NL | Industrial UAS Hub |
| Apr 22-23 | Armoured Vehicle Awareness | London, UK | Ground Autonomy/Sensors |
| Apr 23 | Battery Tech Expo | Silverstone, UK | UAS Power & Propulsion |
| Apr 25 | Drone Safety Day | Nationwide (US) | FAA Community Awareness |
| Apr 27-30 | Canadian Hydrographic Conf. | Canada | Mapping, USVs & Robotics |
| Apr 27-May 1 | Geospatial World Forum | Netherlands | GIS & Mapping Drones |
| Apr 28-29 | Aerospace Tech Week Europe | Munich, DE | Avionics & UAS Systems |
| Apr 28-30 | Modern Day Marine | Washington, DC | Expeditionary Robotics |
| Apr 28-30 | Milipol TechX Summit | Singapore | Homeland Security/SAR |
May 2026
| Date | Event | Location | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 5-7 | Sensors Converge 2026 | Santa Clara, CA | Autonomous Sensors/IoT |
| May 5-9 | SAHA EXPO 2026 | Istanbul, Turkey | Global Defense Ecosystem |
| May 11-14 | AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2026 | Detroit, MI | The Industry’s Largest Event |
| May 12-14 | Dubai Airport Show | Dubai, UAE | Airside Ground Robotics |
| May 26-28 | Expert Security / FireTech | Kyiv, Ukraine | Combat-Proven Tech |
| May 27-28 | Robotics Summit & Expo | Boston, MA | Engineering & Design |
June 2026
| Date | Event | Location | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 3-4 | International Drone Show | Odense, Denmark | European BVLOS Testing |
| Jun 3-6 | HEMUS 2026 | Plovdiv, Bulgaria | Defense & UAS Hub |
| Jun 6-8 | RotorTech 2026 | Australia | Vertical Flight Expo |
| Jun 9-10 | INTERPOL Unmanned Expert Summit | Oslo, Norway | Law Enforcement UAS |
| Jun 9-11 | AutoSens Detroit | Detroit, MI | ADVA/Autonomous Sensing |
| Jun 9-11 | Seawork 2026 | Southampton, UK | Commercial Marine/USVs |
| Jun 15-19 | Eurosatory | Paris, France | Land Defense & Robotics |
| Jun 16-18 | Critical Communications World | London, UK | Public Safety Comms |
| Jun 16-18 | Autonomous Ship Expo | Amsterdam, NL | Marine Autonomy |
| Jun 22-24 | EDRC 2026 | Houston, TX | Energy Drone & Robotics |
| Jun 23-25 | World Police Summit | Dubai, UAE | Tactical/Police Robotics |
July 2026
| Date | Event | Location | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 20-26 | EAA AirVenture Oshkosh | Oshkosh, WI | World’s Largest Airshow |
August 2026
| Date | Event | Location | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 24-26 | UTAC | Perry, GA | Tactical Drone Training |
September 2026
| Date | Event | Location | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1-3 | Commercial UAV Expo | Las Vegas, NV | Leading US Commercial Show |
| Sep 25-27 | IT Arena Lviv | Lviv, Ukraine | Defense Tech Hub |
October 2026
| Date | Event | Location | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 24-27 | IACP 2026 | Orlando, FL | Chiefs of Police Expo |
November 2026
| Date | Event | Location | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 9-11 | SADEX 2026 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Middle East UAS Growth |
December 2026
| Date | Event | Location | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2-4 | Intl. WorkBoat Show | New Orleans, LA | Marine Autonomy Hub |
The 2027 calendar, month by month
An odd year changes the circuit. Eurosatory, UMEX, the World Defense Show, and Oceanology International all sit out 2027, and the shows that run only in odd years take their place: the Paris Air Show returns to Le Bourget in June, DSEI fills ExCeL London in September, and IDEX, Aero India, Seoul ADEX, Dubai Airshow, and Milipol Paris carry the rest of the year. Everything below is a date the organizer has published. Annual shows that have not set 2027 yet, Commercial UAV Expo and Amsterdam Drone Week among them, are added here as those announcements land.
January 2027
| Date | Event | Location | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 6-9 | CES 2027 | Las Vegas, NV | Consumer & Enterprise Tech |
| Jan 19-22 | SHOT Show 2027 | Las Vegas, NV | Tactical UAS & C-UAS |
| Jan 25-29 | IDEX 2027 | Abu Dhabi, UAE | Defense & Unmanned Systems |
| Jan 31-Feb 2 | Imaging USA 2027 | Charlotte, NC | Photography & Aerial Imaging |
February 2027
| Date | Event | Location | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 8-12 | Aero India 2027 | Bengaluru, India | Defense & Aerospace Airshow |
| Feb 16-18 | WEST 2027 | San Diego, CA | Naval Tech & Robotics |
| Feb 23-25 | Geo Week 2027 | Salt Lake City, UT | Lidar & Geospatial UAS |
March 2027
| Date | Event | Location | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1-3 | AFA Warfare Symposium | Aurora, CO | Air Force Technology |
| Mar 15-18 | VERTICON 2027 | Anaheim, CA | Vertical Lift & eVTOL/AAM |
| Mar 16-18 | XPONENTIAL Europe | Düsseldorf, DE | Unmanned Systems |
| Mar 16-18 | embedded world 2027 | Nuremberg, DE | UAS Computing/Hardware |
April 2027
| Date | Event | Location | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3-7 | NAB Show 2027 | Las Vegas, NV | Media & Photography Drones |
| Apr 4-7 | Sea Air Space 2027 | National Harbor, MD | Maritime Defense Tech |
| Apr 6-11 | SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo | Lakeland, FL | Aerospace & Airshow |
May 2027
| Date | Event | Location | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 3-6 | SOF Week 2027 | Tampa, FL | Special Operations & UAS |
| May 17-20 | AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2027 | Miami Beach, FL | The Industry’s Largest Event |
June 2027
| Date | Event | Location | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2-3 | Robotics Summit & Expo | Boston, MA | Engineering & Design |
| Jun 14-20 | Paris Air Show | Paris, France | Global Aerospace & Defense |
July 2027
| Date | Event | Location | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 26-Aug 1 | EAA AirVenture Oshkosh | Oshkosh, WI | World’s Largest Airshow |
September 2027
| Date | Event | Location | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 7-10 | DSEI UK 2027 | London, UK | Global Defense & Security |
October 2027
| Date | Event | Location | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 9-12 | IACP 2027 | Philadelphia, PA | Chiefs of Police Expo |
| Oct 11-13 | AUSA Annual Meeting | Washington, DC | Army Robotics & Landpower |
| Oct 19-24 | Seoul ADEX 2027 | Seongnam, S. Korea | Asia Aerospace & Defense |
November 2027
| Date | Event | Location | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 15-19 | Dubai Airshow 2027 | Dubai, UAE | Aerospace, eVTOL & Defense |
| Nov 16-19 | Milipol Paris 2027 | Paris, France | Homeland Security & Police UAS |
| Nov 29-Dec 3 | I/ITSEC 2027 | Orlando, FL | Military Simulation & Training |
How to choose which shows to attend
Three questions sort the list quickly. First, are you buying or selling? Trade shows like XPONENTIAL and Commercial UAV Expo are built for procurement conversations, while conferences such as the defense summits are built for policy and briefings. Second, is your work regulated? Events with FAA, NASA, or agency participation are worth the travel in a year when rules are moving. Third, do you need the vertical or the industry? A construction or energy show may put you in front of more real buyers than a general drone event.
Registration for the anchor shows typically opens six to nine months ahead, and call-for-speaker windows close earlier than most people expect. If you plan to speak, work backward from the show date by roughly nine months.
Events we cover on the ground
DroneXL reports from several of these shows each year. Our coverage of announcements, product launches, and policy sessions is filed under the drone industry beat as it happens.
Frequently asked questions
What is the biggest drone industry event of the year?
AUVSI XPONENTIAL is the largest uncrewed-systems event in North America, running May 11 to 14, 2026 in Detroit and May 17 to 20, 2027 in Miami Beach. Commercial UAV Expo in Las Vegas each September is the other anchor show for commercial operators, while CES in January and Interdrone draw broader technology and enterprise audiences.
Which drone events matter for public safety agencies?
IACP in October is the largest chiefs-of-police gathering with a growing drone-as-first-responder presence. Public-safety UAS tracks also appear at Commercial UAV Expo and XPONENTIAL, and several state-level DFR summits run through the year.
Which shows should a commercial drone operator prioritize?
If you can attend only one, make it Commercial UAV Expo or XPONENTIAL, where enterprise buyers, software vendors, and regulators all appear. Photography and inspection specialists often get more value from Imaging USA or vertical-specific events in energy, agriculture, and construction.
How often is this calendar updated?
Continuously. Dates move, venues change, and organizers add call-for-speaker deadlines through the year, so this page is revised as those announcements land rather than being replaced with a new post.
DroneXL uses automated tools to support research and source retrieval. All reporting and editorial perspectives are by Haye Kesteloo and the credited author.
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