Eurosatory 2026: the unmanned revolution goes to sea and echoes across the Baltic

Eurosatory 2026 is under way in Paris — the largest edition in the history of the world's leading land and air-land defence exhibition. Its headline theme leaves little doubt: the future of the battlefield belongs to unmanned systems. Among the exhibitors is Poland's WB Group, showcasing drones and unmanned solutions that operate across three domains at once land, air and sea. It is that maritime dimension that carries particular weight for the Baltic and that connects directly to the Drone Forum (AMW UAV Forum) being developed in Poland's Tricity region.

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15 june 2026   |   23:06   |   Source: Gazeta Morska   |   Prepared by: Kamil Kusier   |   Print

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The world's largest defence show in a year Europe is rearming

For the defence industry, Eurosatory is roughly what Le Bourget or Farnborough are for aviation: a shop window for the sector and a place where contracts are struck. The event has run since 1967, takes place every two years at the Paris-Nord Villepinte exhibition centre, and is organised by COGES Events, a subsidiary of the French land-defence industry association GICAT. The scale is best illustrated by the previous edition: in 2024 it drew more than 2,000 exhibitors from 61 countries, over 330 official delegations and more than 75,000 professional visitors. Access is restricted to industry professionals holding a badge requested in advance.

This year's edition, running from 15 to 19 June, is billed by the organisers as the largest in the show's history and not without reason. Its central theme is the "unmanned revolution": drone warfare has reached industrial maturity, and the strongest catalyst for that shift has been the lessons of the war in Ukraine, which have compressed procurement timelines and pushed the drone to the centre of almost every platform decision. That is the context in which Poland's presence at the show should be read.

The maritime domain in WB Group's multi-domain portfolio

WB Group, Poland's largest private defence concern, is presenting in Paris (Hall 5B) part of its portfolio of multi-domain unmanned systems spanning land, sea and air. For the maritime sector, it is that third domain in the "land–air–sea" sequence that matters most.

What does this mean on deck? The most tangible example is the family of remote-controlled weapon stations in the ZMU line, in its naval variant designated ZMU-05N. Fitted with stabilised electro-optical sights and a digital fire-control system, these modules allow accurate engagement in reduced visibility and while the host vessel is manoeuvring, with the operator controlling the weapon from a protected position inside the ship. For navies, coast guards and maritime-security operators, that translates into greater force protection and lower risk to the crew.

Alongside them sit the group's flagship reconnaissance and strike assets the FLYEYE reconnaissance UAV and the FT-5 family of tactical aircraft which, in maritime scenarios, serve as the fleet's "eyes", extending the observation horizon well beyond the reach of the vessel's own sensors. These are precisely the capabilities that contemporary Baltic defence with its dense shipping, subsea infrastructure and a growing number of incidents needs most.

The Polish-French thread: why Paris is no coincidence for WB Group

Although WB Group remains in Polish hands in terms of capital its principal shareholders are founder and president Piotr Wojciechowski and vice-president Adam Bartosiewicz, with a significant stake (around 26 percent) held by the state-owned Polish Development Fund (PFR) its relationship with French industry runs deeper than one might expect.

Radmor, the group's Gdynia-based company, has cooperated with France's Thales for more than a quarter of a century. The roots of that partnership go back to the mid-1990s and agreements with the then-Thomson, which brought to Poland the technologies for identification friend-or-foe (IFF) systems and, subsequently, for the PR4G family of digital radios. A substantial part of the Polish Armed Forces' digital communications was built on those foundations. France's armed forces minister once described that cooperation as "a model for others" and it is hard to find a better illustration that the Polish company's presence in Paris is less a visit than a return to one of its home markets.

A symbolic bookend is the backdrop to this year's show: in parallel with the private-sector exhibitors, Poland's state-owned defence group PGZ is announcing its own Polish-French venture at Eurosatory, forming a joint venture with France's Eurenco to produce 155 mm artillery propellant charges in Poland. Paris 2026 is thus becoming a place where Polish-French defence cooperation opens a new chapter on both the private and the state side.

A Baltic echo: from Paris to the Drone Forum

The most significant point from a Baltic perspective is that the trends visible on the Paris show floor today the industrial maturity of unmanned systems, their multi-domain reach, the integration of reconnaissance and strike are exactly the themes around which the Drone Forum (AMW UAV Forum) is being built in the Tricity region, organised in cooperation with the Polish Naval Academy in Gdynia and regional partners, including the Port of Gdynia.

Eurosatory demonstrates the global scale of the phenomenon; the Drone Forum answers the question of what it means for the Baltic. Protecting subsea infrastructure, unmanned surface vessels (USVs), counter-drone systems at sea and the fusion of airborne sensors with maritime platforms are not abstractions from the Paris halls but real challenges of a sea on whose shores Poland's ports lie. They are also the starting point for the Baltic Drone Hub concept the idea of turning the Tricity region into a Baltic centre of competence in unmanned technologies, linking industry, academia and maritime operators.

Polish technology on display in Paris and Polish thinking on security being developed on the Baltic are two sides of the same process. Eurosatory 2026 is a timely reminder of how quickly the defence world is shifting toward unmanned systems. The task of the coastal region and of initiatives such as the Drone Forum is to ensure that this shifting centre of gravity finds a strong home port here as well.

Contribute to the strategic report "The Future of Unmanned Systems"

Daily Mare is preparing a publication summarising the AMW UAV Forum a practical, operational report grounded in real battlefield experience and in the deployment of unmanned technologies. It brings together the perspectives of the military, industry, academia and government to create a multidimensional view of the development of UAV systems. Registration and submissions for publication are now open. Companies, institutions, research centres and experts interested in taking part can apply at raport@gazetamorska.pl.

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Grupa WB Eurosatory 2026 forum dronowe rewolucja bezzałogowa Zdalny Moduł Uzbrojenia ZMU-05

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