DronTech Asia 2026: Drones, Loitering Munitions and the AI Shift

WarBrief Live | November 10, 2026 | Event Preview

DronTech Asia 2026 opens in Bangkok on November 11, bringing more than 150 drone and defence companies to Thailand for three days of exhibitions, live demonstrations and conferences on the systems reshaping modern warfare. The third edition of the event, held at Hall 5 of the IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Center, arrives in a year when drones have become the defining weapon of the war in Ukraine — and the counter-drone systems on display in Bangkok are now a procurement priority for armed forces across Asia and Europe.

Organised by GML Exhibition (Thailand) Co., Ltd., the show spans commercial and military unmanned systems: precision agriculture and infrastructure inspection on one side, loitering munitions and anti-jamming technology on the other. More than 5,000 professional visitors are expected, alongside government delegations from across Southeast Asia. This preview explains what the event is, who is exhibiting, what to watch in the conference programme, and why a trade show in Bangkok matters to readers in the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union.

What is DronTech Asia 2026?

DronTech Asia 2026 is a three-day trade exhibition and conference for drone and unmanned systems, returning for its third edition from November 11 to 13, 2026, at Hall 5 of the IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Center in Bangkok, Thailand. The organiser, GML Exhibition (Thailand) Co., Ltd., describes it as Asia’s fastest-growing exhibition dedicated to commercial and defence drone technology, bringing together technology providers, government agencies, defence organisations, system integrators and commercial users.

The event’s scope is deliberately broad. Exhibitors cover propulsion, navigation, batteries, mapping, carbon-fibre structures and command systems — the full technology stack behind an unmanned aircraft, rather than airframes alone. The programme combines an exhibition floor with more than 15 international conference sessions and technical seminars, plus five indoor and outdoor live demonstrations using drones and humanoids in disaster management, logistics and transportation.

Senior government participation is part of the draw. The opening ceremony will be presided over by Manu Leopairote, chairman of GML Exhibition (Thailand), alongside high-ranking officials from Thailand and other Asian government agencies. The organiser has also invited senior government representatives from ASEAN countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines — a guest list that underlines how far drone policy has moved from a niche technical subject to a matter of national security. Thailand’s own drone market, valued at about US$262 million in 2025 — roughly THB 8.6 billion — according to Next Move Strategy Consulting, is growing at more than 10 per cent a year, and the organiser expects the event to generate THB 100–150 million in economic value.

The timing places the expo at the centre of a crowded diplomatic fortnight in Southeast Asia. The 49th ASEAN Summit opens in Manila on November 15, and the ADMM-Plus defence ministers’ forum has already put regional military cooperation on the agenda this autumn. DronTech Asia sits between those set-piece meetings as the commercial and technical counterpart: the place where the systems discussed in ministerial communiques are actually bought, tested and compared.

What will be on show in Bangkok?

The exhibitor list, published by the organiser ahead of the show, runs from propulsion specialists to prime defence contractors — and the military systems dominate the headline names. Turkish manufacturer STM is showcasing three systems: the TOGAN reconnaissance and surveillance UAV, the KARGU rotary-wing attack drone and the KUZGUN long-range loitering munition. KNDS, the Franco-German defence group, is presenting ammunition technologies including short- and medium-range loitering munitions. Russia’s Special Technology Center is showing its LUN-20 unmanned aerial system. Loitering munitions — sometimes called kamikaze drones — are aircraft that circle over a target area before diving onto a target, and they have become one of the most closely watched categories of the Ukraine war.

The commercial and dual-use side is equally well represented. DJI Enterprise, shown by SIS, is featuring the DJI Matrice 4E, a compact enterprise drone designed for surveying and mapping. Amazon Web Services is highlighting cloud platforms and software for drone operations, AI, geospatial analytics and secure data processing. T-MOTOR, a global developer of drone propulsion systems, and Inertial Labs, a VIAVI Solutions company focused on navigation and positioning, are among the component suppliers exhibiting. Other confirmed names include Grepow Battery (Tattu), CHC Navigation, SDT Composites of Thailand, SYSTRONICS, AUTEL Robotics and ALCRONS FRONTIER.

The conference programme is where the expo’s defence focus is clearest. The World Drone Congress Bangkok Edition carries the theme “Low Altitude Economy, Soaring into the Future”. A session titled “Thailand: Where ASEAN and the International Drone Ecosystem Converge” brings together the Department of Trade and Industry, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, the Digital Economy Promotion Agency and the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center. Most significant for military watchers is “Next-Generation Military Unmanned Systems: Lessons, Requirements and Future Capabilities”, presented by Thailand’s Ministry of Defence and the Defence Technology Institute — a session explicitly framed around battlefield lessons.

Technical presentations will examine cloud-powered drone operations and AI-enabled autonomy for defence and agriculture, presented by AWS, and anti-jamming and anti-spoofing technologies for mitigating GNSS vulnerabilities, presented by INFOX Navigation Technology. That last topic is not academic: GPS jamming and spoofing have become routine features of the war in Ukraine and of tensions in the Baltic and Black Sea regions, and the countermeasures on show in Bangkok will be studied by the same armed forces now buying counter-drone systems in Europe.

Organiser figures are the organiser’s own estimates, not independently audited counts; market figures are research-firm projections, not confirmed sales. War figures are Ukrainian military claims as reported by the Institute for the Study of War.

Why does a drone expo matter in a year of drone war?

The most important context for DronTech Asia 2026 is not on the exhibition floor — it is in the skies over Ukraine, where drones have moved from a supporting capability to the central weapon of the war. On the night of November 7–8, Russian forces launched 164 strike drones, including 112 jet-powered drones, and three Kh-59/69 cruise missiles at Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, as reported by the Institute for the Study of War. Ukrainian forces intercepted 137 of the drones. It was the second consecutive day of missile and drone strikes against Ukrainian critical and energy infrastructure, and officials reported that strikes left 600,000 people without power in Dnipro City and Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

The pattern is now relentless. A day earlier, Russia fired 36 ballistic missiles at Kyiv, including North Korean-built KN-23s, in an attack that exposed Ukraine’s shortage of Patriot interceptors. On November 9, a drone attack on the Khor Mor gas field knocked out 2.8 GW of power in Iraq’s Kurdistan region — a reminder that drone strikes on energy infrastructure are no longer confined to Ukraine. The same week, American, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are due to meet in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11 to discuss ending the war, even as both sides keep striking each other’s energy systems.

That is why a trade show matters. The systems on display in Bangkok — loitering munitions, reconnaissance drones, anti-jamming navigation, counter-drone radar — are the same categories of equipment being consumed in Ukraine at a rate of hundreds of airframes a week. Procurement officers from ASEAN armed forces will be comparing specifications that were theoretical two years ago and are now validated, or discredited, on a real battlefield. The Thailand Ministry of Defence session on “lessons, requirements and future capabilities” is, in that sense, the most honest title on the programme: the lessons are being written in Ukraine, and the requirements are being set by them.

The commercial shift matters too. Drones are moving beyond hardware into AI-driven, mission-specific systems: software-defined autonomy, cloud-coordinated fleets and navigation that keeps working when satellite signals are jammed. That convergence — AI plus autonomy plus resilient navigation — is the thread running through the Bangkok programme, from AWS’s cloud sessions to INFOX’s anti-spoofing presentation, and it is the reason defence ministries, not just hobbyists and farmers, now attend drone expos.

What will the Bangkok drone expo mean for US/UK/EU readers?

For readers in the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union, the expo’s significance is practical rather than ceremonial, and it falls into four areas: procurement, supply chains, airspace and prices.

On procurement, the systems on show in Bangkok are the same categories NATO allies are now buying at scale. The United Kingdom, the European Union and their partners have accelerated counter-drone programmes after repeated drone incursions and GPS interference in northern and eastern Europe, and the loitering munitions and counter-drone systems exhibited by STM, KNDS and others are direct competitors to the systems European defence ministries are evaluating. What sells in Bangkok — and at what price — will shape the next round of European tenders. The Joint Expeditionary Force pact signed aboard HMS Prince of Wales on November 10, formalising expanded anti-submarine operations by ten northern European nations, is part of the same procurement wave: a region rearming against Russian capabilities it now takes seriously.

On supply chains, the exhibitor list is a map of who makes what. Propulsion, batteries, navigation modules and carbon-fibre structures come from a small set of suppliers concentrated in China, Türkiye, the United States and Europe. Any disruption — export controls, sanctions or a factory fire — ripples through every drone programme that depends on those components. Western buyers are watching whether Southeast Asian manufacturers can offer a second source, and whether Thailand can become a regional hub for unmanned systems production rather than just a buyer.

On airspace, the “low-altitude economy” theme of the World Drone Congress is the policy question of the next decade: how do countries manage thousands of low-flying autonomous aircraft over cities, ports and borders? The rules being written in Thailand and across ASEAN — registration, remote identification, counter-drone authority — will be watched by regulators in the US, UK and EU who face the same questions. Our explainer on how airlines reroute around war zones covers the existing airspace risks; the Bangkok sessions look at what comes next.

On prices, the market numbers are the story for consumers and investors alike: a regional market the organiser’s research puts at about US$30.2 billion in 2026 and a projected US$62.4 billion by 2033, growing at roughly 11 per cent a year. That growth is already visible in cheaper, more capable commercial drones for agriculture, surveying and inspection. These figures are market-research estimates for educational context, not financial advice, and they should be read as a direction of travel rather than a forecast of any individual company’s fortunes.

What to watch next at DronTech Asia 2026

Three things will decide whether the expo is remembered as a routine trade show or as a marker in the drone industry’s development. The first is the World Drone Congress session on the low-altitude economy: if the participating governments announce coordinated rules on drone traffic management, that would be a concrete policy outcome rather than a talking shop. The second is the Thailand Ministry of Defence session on next-generation military unmanned systems — watch for any announced procurement decisions or partnerships, particularly with STM or KNDS, which would signal where Bangkok’s defence spending is heading.

The third is the live demonstrations. Indoor demonstrations will feature ONCOMMAND, the Disaster Response ID4 Association Thailand, SYSTRONICS and 13 ENTERPRISE, while outdoor demonstrations presented by Thailand’s Digital Economy Promotion Agency will cover disaster management and smart transportation and logistics. Live flights, unlike brochure specifications, are hard to fake: a system that flies reliably in front of a crowd of procurement officers earns credibility that no press release can buy. Watch in particular for counter-drone and anti-jamming demonstrations, the capabilities with the most direct relevance to the war in Ukraine.

WarBrief will follow announcements from the show as they emerge, and will update this preview if exhibitors confirm major deals or the Thai government announces new drone regulations during the event. The next date on the regional calendar is the ASEAN Summit in Manila on November 15–17, where leaders are expected to sign the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement — a deal whose digital-trade rules will shape the same low-altitude economy being discussed in Bangkok.

Frequently asked questions

What is DronTech Asia 2026?
DronTech Asia 2026 is a three-day trade exhibition and conference for drone and unmanned systems, held for the third time in Bangkok. It brings together more than 150 exhibiting brands, government agencies, defence organisations and commercial operators to showcase commercial and military drone technology, with live demonstrations and more than 15 conference sessions.

When and where is DronTech Asia 2026?
The event runs from November 11 to 13, 2026, at Hall 5 of the IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Center in Bangkok, Thailand. The opening ceremony is presided over by Manu Leopairote, chairman of the organiser, GML Exhibition (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

Which companies are exhibiting at DronTech Asia 2026?
More than 150 brands are exhibiting, including Turkish manufacturer STM, defence group KNDS, DJI Enterprise, Amazon Web Services, the Special Technology Center of Russia, T-MOTOR, Inertial Labs, Grepow Battery, CHC Navigation, SDT Composites, SYSTRONICS, AUTEL Robotics and ALCRONS FRONTIER.

What counter-drone technology will be on show?
INFOX Navigation Technology is presenting anti-jamming and anti-spoofing technologies for mitigating satellite-navigation vulnerabilities, and the conference programme includes a Thailand Ministry of Defence session on next-generation military unmanned systems. Full counter-drone product details are typically announced by exhibitors during the show itself.

How big is the Asia-Pacific drone market?
Grand View Research estimates the Asia-Pacific drone market at about US$30.2 billion in 2026, projected to reach about US$62.4 billion by 2033, a compound annual growth rate of about 10.9 per cent. Thailand’s own drone market was estimated at about US$262 million in 2025, according to Next Move Strategy Consulting.

Sources

• PR Newswire: DronTech Asia 2026 Showcases the Technologies Shaping Asia’s Fast-Growing Drone Industry
• The Economic Times: Thailand expo bets on drone supply chain as Asia’s autonomous systems market scales up
• AAP: Thailand’s Drone and Unmanned Technology Ecosystem Takes Center Stage at DronTech Asia 2026
• Asian Military Review: From Innovation to Real-World Applications — How Drones Are Reshaping Southeast Asia’s Industries
• Institute for the Study of War: Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, November 8, 2026
• DronTech Asia: GML Moves Forward with DronTech Asia 2026 as Thailand’s Drone Market Tops THB 8.6 Billion