With just three months remaining before World Defense Show (WDS) 2026 opens its doors in Riyadh, Naval News spoke with Andrew Pearcey, CEO of WDS, about the show’s major expansions, the debut of the new Naval Zone, and how the 2026 edition aims to set a new benchmark for integrated, multi-domain defense exhibitions.
As preparations intensify in the lead-up to the 2026 edition, WDS is positioning itself for its most ambitious iteration yet. With expanded exhibition areas, new domain-specific zones, and an increasingly global exhibitor and delegation roster, the show reflects both the rapid evolution of defense technology and Saudi Arabia’s growing role as a strategic hub for industry collaboration. Against this backdrop, CEO Andrew Pearcey outlines what visitors can expect from WDS 2026 and how the event is shaping the conversation around future defense integration.
Naval News: With 3 months to go, how are preparations for WDS 2026 coming along?
Andrew Pearcey: Preparations are exactly where we want them to be at this stage – focused, fast-moving, and driven by very strong demand. The 2026 edition will be our largest and most integrated show yet, and with three months to go, we’re in the final phase of stitching everything together.
We’ve expanded the venue footprint, advanced the design of all new zones, and locked in strong participation from exhibitors, delegations, and partners. What’s particularly encouraging is the level of engagement we’re seeing across naval, maritime, unmanned systems, cyber, space, and security – all areas where integration is becoming essential to modern defense planning. Operationally, the team is across every detail: live demonstrations, static displays, hall build-outs, the new Naval Zone, the expanded Future Defense Lab, and the Saudi Supply Chain Zone.
Demand has been consistent and early – a very clear sign of the momentum behind WDS and behind Saudi Arabia’s position as a global defense hub.
Naval News: One of the main new features of WDS 2026 is the Naval Zone. Can you tell us more?
Andrew Pearcey: The Naval Zone is one of the most significant additions to WDS 2026, and a direct response to what both industry and government partners have been asking for. The Kingdom is placing increasing strategic emphasis on maritime security, sea lines of communication, coastal surveillance, and the technologies that underpin them – so the show needs to reflect that.
The Naval Zone brings the maritime domain into the same integrated conversation as air, land, space, and cyber. It creates a dedicated environment for shipbuilders, systems providers, maritime autonomy developers, ISR platforms, and command-and-control innovators to demonstrate capability and connect with partners.
We’re not positioning the Naval Zone as a standalone silo – it’s deliberately built to show how maritime capability intersects with unmanned systems, sensors, AI, secure communications, and space-based enablers. That’s where the industry is moving, and that’s where WDS is steering as well.
Naval News: Which other new features should we expect in the 2026 edition?
Andrew Pearcey: WDS 2026 is built around a set of new, high-impact features designed to make the show more integrated, more innovation-driven, and more actionable for industry.
First is the Future Defense Lab – the innovation pulse of the show. It brings together new-to-market technologies, early-stage innovators, major primes, and R&D leaders. The structured Investor Program sits within the Lab, matching technology creators with capital.
Second is the Unmanned Systems Zone, covering the full land–sea–air continuum of autonomy, with an emphasis on AI-enabled systems, edge computing, resilient communications, and operational integration.
Third is the Saudi Supply Chain Zone (SSCZ) – a major new addition. This zone gives Saudi SMEs, startups, and manufacturers direct access to global primes, procurement teams, and buyers. It’s designed as a practical engine for localization in line with Vision 2030.
Together, these features push the show firmly into the future – not just displaying hardware, but enabling investment, partnerships, technology transfer, and real industrial outcomes.
Naval News: Can you tell us about the theme of WDS 2026?
Andrew Pearcey: Our theme, The Future of Defense Integration, reflects a simple reality: modern defense capability is no longer defined by individual systems, but by how those systems work together across domains.
Saudi Arabia has been very clear in its ambition – to build an advanced, interconnected, globally competitive defense ecosystem. WDS 2026 brings that ambition to life by creating a venue where air, land, sea, space, and security technologies are not shown in isolation but in combination.
It is also an evolution of our Equipped for Tomorrow identity – shifting the show from being a place where innovation is displayed to a place where innovation accelerates. The 2026 theme signals that WDS is not just narrating the sector’s future; it is helping shape it.
