This year, the Drone Summit brought together approximately 2,000 participants from NATO and allied countries. Political leaders of the International Drone Coalition, defense industry experts, and technology visionaries gathered in Riga to jointly outline future directions and strengthen security cooperation.
An intensive and multifaceted program was organized during the summit:
- Panel discussions: expert debates on the industry’s most pressing challenges and innovations.
- Collaboration activities: B2B networking sessions enabling entrepreneurs and investors to form new partnerships.
- Drone workshops: practical exchanges of experience and technological demonstrations.
- Industry exhibition: a large-scale showcase where manufacturers from Europe, Canada, and Australia presented the latest unmanned aerial vehicle solutions. Notably, THALES and Airbus also hosted booths featuring their newest drone developments.
Egils Berins, commercialization expert for innovative solutions at the Institute of Electronics and Computer Science (EDI), participated in the summit. He met with several potential international partners to expand the institute’s collaboration network and share information on EDI researchers’ achievements. He also held meetings with Latvian drone development and manufacturing companies. Particularly notable were discussions with drone manufacturers from Lithuania and the Netherlands.
The international Drone Summit 2026 was opened with a speech by Prime Minister and Acting Minister of Defense Evika Siliņa, who then gave the floor to U.S. Congressman Don Bacon and Sir John Stinger, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (DSACEUR). Prior to the opening, Evika Siliņa participated in a press briefing dedicated to the summit and, together with Dutch Minister of Defense Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius, signed a memorandum of understanding on bilateral cooperation between Latvia and the Netherlands.
Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleksandr Mishchenko also addressed the summit with a powerful speech, thanking all supporters, particularly the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, and the Baltic states. British Minister for the Armed Forces Alistair Carns emphasized that, given drone warfare and Ukraine’s experience, cooperation models must evolve and NATO structures require significant adaptation. Major General Kaspars Pudāns, Chief of Defence of Latvia, also delivered a speech at the summit.
The event was organized by the National Defence Logistics and Procurement Centre and the Ministry of Defence in cooperation with Riga Technical University.
