DSEI 2025

24/09/202525/09/2025 Paolo Valpolini DSEI 2025

The 2025 edition of the biennial DSEI exhibition, held in London at the Excel exhibition centre from 9 to 12 September, was a remarkably successful one with over 60,000 visitors and delegations from more than 70 countries, despite protests and transport strikes, which certainly did not make participation easier.

Over 1,600 exhibitors showcased their products and services, while naval vessels were moored alongside the covered exhibition area.

The renewed tension between Western Europe and Russia, generated by invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the situation in the Middle East, and the Chinese threat against Taiwan, all this contributes to bringing defense issues to the forefront. “ReArm Europe” is only one of the many programmes that aim at increasing defence investments, something that is happening not only in the Old Continent.

New weapon systems, exploiting the latest technologies, but also new systems obtained by merging existing ones giving birth to new capacities, could be seen in the aisles of DSEI, companies now looking both at top-tier equipment but also to more affordable systems, that can answer the need for mass acquisition. Which in turn means mass production, another topic that was highlighted at the London exhibition, a key issue for weapon system, but an even more critical one when speaking of munitions.

Of course, autonomy, cybersecurity, space, artificial intelligence, were among the many subject discussed at DSEI, which also saw the signature of several cooperation agreements between companies, ranging from major OEMs to SMEs. While Europe is still waiting to see the development of a true continental cooperation in the defence industry, which seems far away to materialise.

Hereafter EDR On-Line readers can find the articles on some of the new items and key topics seen and discussed at the London exhibition.