From February 8 to 12, the international defense exhibition World Defense Show 2026 was held in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), which presents the latest technologies for air, land, sea, space and security. The exhibition featured representatives from hundreds of gun manufacturers, including giants such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Dynamics, Navantia, BAE Systems, L3Harris and Norinco. Along with these giants, Ukraine presented its novelties.
The portal PromPolitInform informs about weapon innovations that can change the concepts of the leading armies of the world in the near future.
Ukraine showed excellent technique, proven by time and front.
Foto – UKR ARMO TECH
Pavilion of Ukrainian military enterprises represents equipment and weapons for all branches of the army. 28-ton self-propelled gun (ACS) “Bogdan” – the most prominent of the expons.
In order to bring her to the exhibition, they conducted a whole special operation – first delivered to Slovakia, and from there with a special board to Saudi Arabia. According to its combat and technical capabilities, “Bogdan” approached Western counterparts, in particular the French CAESAR. In the case of war, the system is constantly modernized and has several options for execution.
As of October 2025, native Bogdans – self-propelled and adept – make up about 40% among all artillery systems used on the front. Simply put, it’s a huge shassy gun on a wheel that can quickly come to position, shoot and drive before the enemy responds.
Foto: ФБ National Association of Ukrainian Defense Industries/NAUDI
Ukrainian company “UkrArmoTech” demonstrated at the exhibition of armored vehicles Gurza 02 and DESNA.
These are modern replacements for the old Uaziks and the American Hammers. Gurza 02 is a ten-seater armored car for transporting personal composition, it has been delivered to the army since September last year. DESNA is a four-seat light armored vehicle. It has anti-mine and ballistic protection, with the ability to withstand the hit of a conventional 7.62 × 51 mm cartridge and a blast under the wheel of a hand grenade or anti-aircraft mine.
Both cars were developed by Ukrainian engineers in 2025 and have already successfully passed codification tests. After their presentation in Riyadh will be launched serial production.
The National Association of Defense Industry Enterprises of Ukraine (NAUDI) showed the Varta 2 armored car. These are machines with a V-shaped bottom: if such a machine runs into a mine, the energy of the explosion goes to the side, and not to the cabin. She’ll keep a powerful land mine under the wheel and save the crew.
If the machine meets the needs of Ukrainian forces that operate in real combat conditions, it is able to compete with the best international solutions available today.
Gurza 02 Foto – UKR ARMO TECH
DESNA Foto – UKR ARMO TECH
Another bright Ukrainian novelty is the SEEDIS drone hunter, created by SEE and NAUDI.
This is a special interceptor drone that works with almost no human involvement. He finds the spectacular drones in the sky and automatically points at them.
SEEDIS is a real “sprinter”: it develops a speed of up to 320 km/h and can rise to a height of up to 5 kilometers. Thanks to a set of cameras with a thermal imager, he perfectly sees the whole even at night at a distance of up to one kilometer. The decision to undermine the impressive drone takes either the operator or the “smart” system with artificial intelligence.
“Here at the World Defense Show, among the leading players in the global defense market and military delegations from dozens of countries, we confirm that the products of our company and NAUDI members are serial solutions tested in real combat conditions. This presentation is a witness to the growth of the Ukrainian defense industry complex in the international arena, “said Vladislav Belbas, General Director of the Ukrainian Armored Vehicle Company.
SEEDIS – drone-interceptor Photo – UKR ARMO TECH
The company “Ukrainian armored” also brought in Er-Riyad drone-kamikaze UB60D, coming complete with combat part. In addition, the stand showed a wide line of shells of its own production: from light mines to heavy artillery shells (155 mm), which are now the most needed on the front.
The key idea of the UB60D is the combination of combat parts and control systems in a single building. A high-explosive caliber mine of 60 mm is used as a combat charge, which is integrated into the design of the apparatus and does not require additional projectile or suspension. This excludes training operations and allows you to reduce the time from assignment to start up to five minutes.
The drone is controlled by the operator through a ground station, including a mast with a carrying part for Wi-Fi communication, a monitor, a control panel, a set of cables, ZIP and charging devices. The transmission of data and commands occurs in real time, providing high precision guidance.
Kamikaze drone UB60D Photo – UKR ARMO TECH
UB60D has a double system of protection against uncontrolled triggering – mechanical and electrical. This reduces the risk of accidental undermining both during transportation and during service.
The range of the drone is up to 20 km, which allows operators to work from safe positions outside the enemy’s line of sight. UB60D is especially effective in the near tactical zone – to destroy manpower, light armored vehicles, mortar positions, ammunition depots and equipment on the march. Its mobility and ease of management make it possible to use the complex even for unprofessionally trained operators after minimal training.
NATO countries rely on robots
There were new items that could surprise in the presentations of NATO countries. The British XRC Robotics showed at the exhibition a line of ground-based robotic complexes, focusing on the combat experience of Ukraine, where such platforms are already used for transporting ammunition, evacuating the wounded and delivering equipment.
The main star of the line is the Rhino robot (“Rhino”). This is a powerful unmanned “trolley,” which carries up to 200 kg of cargo at a speed of 50 km/h. The main feature of “Rhino” is its modularity. This means that the robot is assembled as a designer: tracks, engine or battery can be replaced in a matter of minutes right in the open field. In addition, it is always in touch thanks to support for high-speed Internet (4G/LTE), which allows you to integrate it into the overall battle management system.
The second presented machine, MFP-1, is very tiny – it weighs only 20 kg. This robot assistant is designed for reconnaissance and work on the front line. It is easy to carry in the hands, it quickly turns around and can deliver soldiers up to 35 kg of necessary things (for example, spare batteries or water) for a distance of up to 20 km.
The British also introduced the powerful Venom LR cannon. It was installed on the Pars Alpha armored vehicle, turning it into a formidable hunter. Thanks to the control system with artificial intelligence and state-of-the-art stabilization, the gun “freezes” on the target, even if the car itself is driving through the bugras. This allows sniper to hit moving objects from the first shot.
Turkish holding SYS Grup showed how modern guns turn into “smart” gadgets. Their systems allow you to turn an ordinary armored car or boat into a high-precision hunter. Particular attention was drawn to the installation of TRAKON 30. It is a remote-controlled gun that itself calculates the trajectory and shoots down targets (including drones) in a “kinetic way,” that is, a direct hit by a projectile, rather than an explosive wave. Such accuracy is indispensable in urban battles: the gun carefully beats, minimizing unnecessary destruction. In general, Turkish novelties cover all the needs of the army – from conventional machine guns to powerful guns that can be put on tanks and ships.
Weapon novelties of Russia turned out to be “with a beard”
Russia, which, unfortunately, was allowed to attend the international event, tried to surprise at the World Defense Show 2026 in Saudi Arabia with its miracle – BTR-22. Naturally, Russian propaganda literally admired the demonstration of the concept of a new generation of BBM, which “has no analogues in the world.” But there is a nuance.
There is a nuance with another Russian exhibit: the 300-mm Sarma MLRS, based on the KamAZ-63501 armored chassis, which Russian propaganda has already dubbed “the newest.”
– But, in fact, this “novelty” has become a pathetic parody of the Ukrainian BTR-4. If Russia brought to the World Defense Show 2026 in Saudi Arabia (one of the few weapons exhibitions where it is allowed), this is one that has long outlived itself and degraded, then what kind of development and progress can we talk about? And the “newest” MLRS “Sarma” was previously presented on the basis of the BM 9A52-4 and was called MLRS 9K58-4 “Kama” on the KamAZ-63501 chassis (8×8), which were presented back in 2009, – comments military expert Alexander Kovalenko.
According to the expert, it is unlikely that buyers from developed countries encroach on such equipment.
“Only customers from African countries can buy such samples, and then, only on credit at the expense of Russian banks, despite the fact that in a few years they will be forgiven for the loyalty of their governments to Moscow during votes within the UN,” said Alexander Kovalenko.
Фото: Fayez Nureldine / AFP via Getty Images
