Feindef launches its most global edition with a record 78% increase in international exhibitors.

 

 

The International Defense and Security Fair of Spain, feindef, has inaugurated in IFEMA Madrid Its fourth edition, marking a milestone in its history by becoming the most international to date. With almost a third of its exhibitors from outside Spain, the biennial event demonstrates exponential growth and its firm aspiration to consolidate itself as a "benchmark in southern Europe," in the words of its organizers.

 

This year, feindef has the participation of 187 international exhibitors out of a total of 601, which represents an impressive 78% increase Compared to the previous edition in 2023, which brought together 105 foreign firms, the first edition saw just 26 international participants.

 

Angel Olivares, president of the Feindef Foundation, the event's organizer with the institutional support of the Spanish Ministry of Defense, emphasized the fair's importance. "It is a leading trade fair in southern Europe that has managed to position itself very well in the global multi-domain trade fair market, ranking among the top 10 with only four editions."he declared.

 

The international reach is not limited to the exhibitors. The institutional presence has also doubled, with the confirmed attendance of more than 90 foreign delegations (compared to 46 in 2019) and 9 international organizations (in contrast to the four mentioned in the first paragraph). Among the latter, the most notable are the European Commission, through its Directorates-General for Defense Industry and Space (DEFIS) and Communications Networks, Content and Technologies (CNECT), as well as the European Defense Agency (EDA), Europol, the UN, NATO, and the Joint Organization for Armament Cooperation (OCCAR).

 

During the three days of feindef, crucial topics will be addressed, such as current geostrategic challenges, sustainability in the defense sector, dual innovation (with civilian and military applications), and the quest for greater European technological autonomy.

 

In this context, Olivares considers that feindef It is presented as a "an ideal framework to facilitate agreement in strategic alliances" international and a space to continue moving forward "a single defense market in Europe«This vision takes on particular relevance after EU leaders agreed to increase community spending on security and defense, a strategy that, according to Brussels estimates, could mobilize up to €800.000 billion.

 

Marta Nogueira, head of the Airbus Defence and Space business area in Spain, highlighted the importance of the event in the current European panorama. He explained that the fair offers a fundamental space for dialogue to forge alliances at a key moment for "to collaborate and participate in major European initiatives", as well as for "to launch major development and collaboration programs at the European level that will allow us to develop the technology that will give us sovereignty" strategic.

 

Among the renowned international companies present at this edition is the American Lockheed Martin, a supplier to the Spanish government and its armed forces for more than two decades. It is joined by other major companies such as the German manufacturer of armored vehicles and weapons systems Rheinmetall, the French company specializing in electronics for defense, aerospace and transportation Thales group, and the Italian multinational Leonardo.

 

The fair has significantly expanded its exhibition space to Sqm 66.690 to house their 601 exhibitors, of which 75% are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The attendance of 35.000 professionals of the sector and the visit of 93 international delegations, consolidating feindef as an unmissable event in the global defense and security calendar.