Free-to-attend show brings together the Commercial, Defence, Emergency Services and Future of Flight sectors, with 60+ hours of content and keynotes from the UK Civil Aviation Authority, the FAA, the Department for Transport, BT Group, NPCC and more.
LONDON, 25 September 2026 – DroneX, part of the Uncrewed Tech Expo, returns to Excel London on 29 – 30 September 2026, uniting manufacturers, operators, regulators and policymakers shaping the future of uncrewed technology across four sectors: Commercial, Defence, Emergency Services and Future of Flight.
The show follows a record-breaking 2025 edition, which welcomed more than 4,000 industry professionals – its highest attendance to date – and saw 81% of exhibitors rebook for 2026, a signal of the confidence the sector has placed in the event as uncrewed systems move from trials into everyday operational use.
What’s new for 2026
DroneX 2026 spans a Keynote Theatre and three seminar stages – Surveillance, Commercial and Future of Flight – hosting government, regulators and industry leaders across both days. New silent-seminar technology, with individual headsets at each theatre, delivers crystal-clear audio without background noise bleeding across the show floor. In total, the 2026 programme delivers more than 60 hours of content from international speakers, across 100+ educational seminars, all free to attend.
ARPAS-UK, the UK’s drone association, joins as Headline Industry Partner for 2026.
A keynote programme built around where the industry is heading
Keynote speakers across the two days include
Day 1 – 29 September
- Keir Mather MP, Department for Transport – opening keynote address, “Future of Drone Technology and Industry Update”
- Paul Strande (FAA), Sophie O’Sullivan (UK Civil Aviation Authority) and Andy Sage (NATS) – “From Research to Regulation”
- Alan Hicks (Manna), Ashwini Chhabra (Wing), Colin Chesterton (UK Civil Aviation Authority) and Kamil Faltynowski (Department for Transport) – “Integrating Shared Airspace to Unlock the Potential of the UK Drone Industry”
- Taryn Evans, Superintendent, UK Policing’s Drone Programme (NPCC) – “From Visual Line of Sight to Autonomous Operations: The Evolution of Police Drones”
- Dave Pankhurst, BT Group – “Connectivity, Intelligence and Integration”
- Will Stone MP – “Britain’s Drone Advantage: Building a Sovereign Uncrewed Capability”
- Sophie O’Sullivan and Ed Clay, UK Civil Aviation Authority – “Making Specific Category Operations More Straightforward for UK Operators”
Day 2 – 30 September
- Andrew Chadwick (Ventura System Solutions), Corinne Matthews (Somerset Council) and Richard Collins (EiBC) – “Drone Technology in the Public Sector: A Multi-Million Pound Opportunity”
- Sean Hickey (Geeksvana), Ryan Swain (DJI Enterprise), Matt Williams (Blue Skies Drone Training), Graham Degg (Unmanned Support) and Callum Condé (CAA) – “DJI Enterprise Presents: UK Drone Industry Discussion”
- Anne-Lise Scaillierez (ARPAS-UK), Ben Jakubowski (Marshall Aerospace), Jonny Miller (IONA Drones), Nina Percival (Ofcom) and Oliver Davies (UK Civil Aviation Authority) – “Designing for Scale: Assurance, Spectrum, BVLOS and Multi-Simultaneous Operations in the UK”
- Antonia Fernandez, Ernst & Young LLP – “The Defence Cash Flow Gap: Financing Growth with Private Capital”
- Barbara Pareglio (GSMA) and Barney Stinton (GSMA Fusion) – “5G: The Critical Enabler for Low Altitude Services”
The programme reflects the four themes DroneX has built the show around: commercial operations scaling beyond trials, defence procurement and industrial capacity, drones embedded in emergency-service frontline work, and the infrastructure now being built for the future of flight.
In their words
“Uncrewed technology is moving quickly from trials into real-world deployment. Across the UK and Europe, we’re seeing growing adoption of drones, autonomous systems, AI and robotics across commercial, defence, emergency services and future flight.
DroneX brings the industry together – the companies building the technology, the organisations using it, and the decision-makers shaping its future. We’re looking forward to bringing the industry together at Excel London and seeing the technology, ideas and conversation shaping for what comes next.”
– Adnan Hiroli, Managing Director, DroneX
Partners and registration
DroneX 2026 is backed by ARPAS-UK as Headline Industry Partner, alongside industry partners from across the globe and sponsors including Amprius (Gold Sponsor), 3DXR (Lanyard Sponsor), Wing (Networking Area Sponsor) and SiMa.ai (Registration Page & Seminar Theatre Sponsor).
Registration is free and open now at www.dronexpo.co.uk.
Event details
- Dates: 29 – 30 September 2026
- Venue: Excel London, Hall S7
- Format: Free-to-attend trade show and conference
About DroneX
DroneX, part of the Uncrewed Tech Expo, is Europe’s leading event for the uncrewed technology sector. Held annually at Excel London, the show brings together exhibitors, operators, regulators and policymakers across Commercial, Defence, Emergency Services and Future of Flight to address the regulation, technology, skills and investment questions shaping the industry’s next stage of growth. DroneX 2027 is confirmed for 28 – 29 September 2027.
Media contact
DroneX Marketing Team Uncrewed Tech Ltd Email: marketing@uncrewedtechexpo.com Phone: +44 117 454 6390 Address: Goodridge Court, Goodridge Avenue, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England, GL2 5EN Website: www.dronexpo.co.uk
