Euronaval 2026 opens in Paris: a 50% naval shipbuilding boom, unmanned vessels and what exhibitors are showing

Euronaval 2026 opened today, 3 November, at Paris Nord Villepinte. The 30th edition of the naval defence exhibition runs until Friday 6 November under the theme “Towards high intensity”. The organiser reports around 40% more exhibitors than in 2024.

We listed exhibitors country by country in our earlier article. This one looks at what stood out on day one and at what exhibitors are bringing to Paris.

The numbers from the opening

At the opening conference, Pierre-Eric Pommellet, president of Euronaval and of the French naval industry association GICAN, said global military naval production grew by roughly 50% in value over the past two years, to more than US$122 billion. Delivered tonnage rose from about 1 million to 1.5 million tonnes (Shephard). A study published ahead of the show puts nuclear attack submarine output at 17 boats in 2024–2025, up from 6 in 2022–2023, while conventional submarine deliveries rose from 11 to 18 (Naval News).

The trend on the floor: unmanned vessels

• KNDS and SeaOwl: announced on day one a cooperation to develop an armed uncrewed surface vessel: 35 knots, a 30 kg payload and a range of up to 200 km, with the final decision to fire left to a remote operator (KNDS/SeaOwl release).
• Saab: presented the optionally crewed CB90 CX ahead of the show, offered in ISR, anti-ship and short-range air defence configurations, with Sweden as launch customer (Naval News).
• Turkish exhibitors: STM shows the YAKTU kamikaze uncrewed surface vessel and the NETA autonomous underwater vehicle, MKE the PİRANA KİDA, HAVELSAN its SANCAR, and ASELSAN a range of uncrewed surface and underwater systems.

Türkiye: a much larger presence

The official digital catalogue lists 16 Turkish entries this year (14 companies, the Turkish pavilion organiser and a media outlet), against 8 Turkish exhibitors counted in 2024. New since 2024 are HAVELSAN, STM, MKE, Nurol Teknoloji, Sanmar and Ares Shipyard (C4Defence).

• STM (J83): NETA, YAKTU, the replenishment and logistics support ship STM is building for the Portuguese Navy, the İstif-class frigate, the MPAC fast attack craft and the STM500 submarine design (Denizhaber).
• ASELSAN (I65): modular naval weapon systems, uncrewed surface and underwater vehicles, sonar, electronic warfare and electro-optics (Defensehere).
• HAVELSAN (J99): naval technologies for surface and underwater operations, including the SANCAR USV, ADVENT and a naval command and control system (C4Defence).
• MKE (J65): the DENİZHAN naval gun and the PİRANA KİDA kamikaze USV (Haber71).
• ASFAT (J79): naval engineering, shipyard integration, platform modernisation and turn-key warship construction (Times of Defence).

The Netherlands: Damen and a joint pavilion

Damen Naval is at stand G48 (Damen). The joint Dutch pavilion on stand F62 brings together research organisations TNO and NLR with companies such as IHC Defence, RH Marine, Optics11, PhotonFirst and Bolidt, which shows deck systems and bonding methods for navies (Bolidt). Elsewhere in the hall, Surge Marine shows autonomous underwater vehicles, and Speeder Systems shows solutions that combine uncrewed surface and aerial vehicles.

What is on, and when

• Dates and venue: 3–6 November 2026, Paris Nord Villepinte, Hall 6.
• EURONAVAL Awards: Wednesday 4 November at 12:00 in the Conference Room.
• SEAnnovation: 30 selected start-ups in naval and dual-use defence.
• Visiting: trade-only; visitors need a badge from the official website (euronaval.com).

Notes for exhibitors

At a show of this size, visitors decide in seconds whether to stop. Stand graphics that say what a product is and who it is for in one sentence, short videos that work without sound, and product pages in English and the buyer’s language make the difference. Our trade show marketing guide and 12-week preparation checklist cover the planning; after the show, our follow-up email templates help you keep conversations going. Next on the calendar: IDEF 2027 in Istanbul.

What does Edda Creative do?

With our team in Amsterdam and Ankara we prepare brands for trade fairs in Europe, Türkiye and beyond: the message, stand graphics, product sheets, video and animation, pre-show and post-show content, in English, Dutch and Turkish. Meetings on the stand and the sales conversations afterwards stay with your own team.

Preparing for a fair? Email us at info@eddacreative.com with the show, the dates and a short description of what you want to achieve.

Frequently asked questions

When and where is Euronaval 2026?

From 3 to 6 November 2026 at Paris Nord Villepinte, Hall 6. The show closes on Friday 6 November.

What is the theme of Euronaval 2026?

“Towards high intensity”. Autonomous systems and drones, AI, electronic warfare and the seabed domain are among the main topics.

How big is the naval shipbuilding market?

According to Euronaval’s president at the opening, global military naval production grew by roughly 50% in two years to more than US$122 billion.

How many Turkish companies exhibit at Euronaval 2026?

The official catalogue lists 16 Turkish entries: 14 companies, the pavilion organiser and a media outlet.

Sources

• Euronaval – official website
• Euronaval 2026 – official digital catalogue
• Shephard – Euronaval 2026 opening conference (3 November 2026)
• Naval News – Global naval shipbuilding surges 50% (22 October 2026)
• KNDS and SeaOwl press release (3 November 2026)
• Naval News – Saab CB90 CX (2 November 2026)
• C4Defence – Turkish participation at Euronaval 2026 (1 November 2026)
• Denizhaber – STM at Euronaval 2026 (3 November 2026)
• Defensehere – ASELSAN at Euronaval 2026
• Haber71 – MKE at Euronaval 2026
• Times of Defence – ASFAT at Euronaval 2026
• Damen – Euronaval
• Bolidt – Euronaval 2026

Information as of 3 November 2026, based on statements by the organiser and exhibitors and on press reports.