Enforce Tac 2026: Nuremberg Defends Against Competition from Hanover

<p>Enforce Tac in Nuremberg is considered Germany's most important trade fair for security and defense – yet the winds are becoming rougher. While Rheinmetall, KNDS and numerous start-ups continue to vie for the attention of industry visitors until Wednesday, a new challenger is emerging from Hanover that could put pressure on the Nuremberg location.</p>

<h2>Growth Despite New Competitors</h2> <p>According to the organizers, over <strong>1,400 exhibitors from 45 countries</strong> presented themselves at Enforce Tac 2026, with around <strong>26,500 industry visitors</strong> traveling to Nuremberg. The trade fair has long since ceased to be merely a sales platform for pistols, holsters or night vision devices, as was the case in its early years. Under the patronage of Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz, this year the interlinking of internal and external security as well as the defense against hybrid threats were strategically placed at the center. The organizers are thus deliberately positioning Enforce Tac as a central platform for decision-makers from authorities, industry and academia – not just as a traditional trade fair.</p>

<h3>Competition from Hanover is Taking Shape</h3> <p>However, the timing for this expansion could hardly be worse: The London arms trade fair DSEI plans to launch a German offshoot in Hanover next year. This threatens Enforce Tac with genuine competition on German soil for the first time in years. The Nuremberg trade fair is countering by leveraging its strength in innovation and the networking of start-ups, military and industry to set itself apart from the new competition. Whether this focus is sufficient to defend its position as the leading trade fair will become apparent in the coming editions.</p>

<h2>From Tanks to Unmanned Vehicles</h2> <p>On the exhibition floor itself, the structural change in the industry is particularly evident. Alongside established major corporations like Rheinmetall and KNDS, which operate with heavy equipment, numerous young companies are competing for attention. Particularly unmanned systems are in focus: Arx Robotics from Munich presented the latest version of its vehicle Gereon, equipped with anti-tank systems from Bavarian traditional manufacturer MBDA Deutschland. The company describes itself as the most important Western supplier of unmanned land systems for Ukraine.</p>

<h3>Drone Manufacturer Takes Step into New Segment</h3> <p>Also drawing attention was the company Quantum Systems from Upper Bavaria's Gilching, which has so far been known primarily as a manufacturer of flying drones. With the device "Mandrill", the company presented for the first time an unmanned vehicle for ground deployment – a sign of how strongly the boundaries between individual technology segments of the defense industry are currently dissolving. Given rapidly growing defense budgets and a steadily increasing number of new military technology suppliers, more and more trade fair organizers are trying to benefit from this market growth.</p>

<h2>Conclusion: Nuremberg Must Reposition Itself</h2> <p>Enforce Tac thus stands at a crossroads: On the one hand, visitor and exhibitor numbers demonstrate sustained interest in the Nuremberg trade fair, on the other hand, pressure is growing from new competing formats such as the planned DSEI offshoot in Hanover. The increased focus on innovation, start-ups and networking of different actors from military, academia and industry is likely to be the decisive strategy by which the trade fair aims to distinguish itself from the competition in the long term. How the balance of power between German arms trade fairs will develop in the future should become apparent at the latest when the Hanover format launches next year.</p>