Security Essen will place drone detection and defence, critical infrastructure protection and closer cooperation between security organisations at the centre of its 2026 programme. Taking place from 22 to 25 September at Messe Essen, Germany, the international security trade fair will bring together industry, public authorities, emergency services and infrastructure operators to address a threat environment increasingly shaped by unmanned systems, sabotage and hybrid attacks.
The security environment surrounding Europe’s critical infrastructure is changing rapidly. Airports, transport networks, energy infrastructure, communications facilities and other sensitive sites are increasingly exposed to threats that can cross traditional boundaries between physical security, cyber security, intelligence and emergency response. Unmanned aerial systems illustrate this development particularly clearly. Drones have become valuable operational tools for infrastructure inspection, surveillance, emergency response and situational awareness. At the same time, inexpensive and increasingly capable unmanned systems can be used for reconnaissance, disruption, sabotage and attacks against sensitive facilities. The issue has gained additional urgency following recent incidents in Europe. In August, German authorities discovered an explosives-carrying drone at Leipzig/Halle Airport near a Ukrainian cargo aircraft. On 1 September, the German government attributed the attempted attack to individuals linked to the Russian state, framing the incident within a broader pattern of hybrid activity targeting European countries. Against this background, Security Essen is expanding the debate from individual security technologies towards the broader question of how threats can be detected, assessed and countered across organisational boundaries.
European Drone Conference examines detection, defence and regulation
A central element of the programme will be the first European Drone Conference, taking place on 23 and 24 September in Hall 7. Organised by the Drone Committee of the German Security Industry Association BDSW together with Security Essen, the conference is designed to strengthen interdisciplinary cooperation between the different stakeholders involved in unmanned aviation and counter-UAS security. Representatives from the security industry, public authorities, research organisations and other specialist fields will examine the legal, operational and technological requirements associated with the growing use of drones. The agenda demonstrates how widely the drone security debate has expanded. Topics range from European and national aviation law to critical infrastructure protection, research and development, pilot training and requirements for Beyond Visual Line of Sight operations.
Cornelius Toussaint, Vice President of the BDSW and Chairman of its Drone Committee, will address developments in security and drone technology in Germany. Marcus Schermann of DB Sicherheit will examine the use of multicopters for protecting critical infrastructure, while further presentations will explore the operational and regulatory requirements surrounding unmanned systems. The significance of the subject increasingly extends beyond the deployment of drones themselves. For operators of airports, energy facilities, industrial sites and other critical infrastructure, the challenge is becoming one of counter-UAS architecture: detecting an unauthorised aircraft early, identifying and classifying it, assessing the potential threat and initiating an appropriate response. This requires more than a single sensor or countermeasure. Radar, radio-frequency detection, electro-optical and thermal imaging, acoustic sensors and command-and-control platforms may all form part of a layered system. The operational challenge is to transform those individual data sources into a reliable situational picture quickly enough for security personnel or public authorities to act.
From detection to coordinated response
This shift is important because technological detection alone does not resolve a drone incident. Questions surrounding legal authority, identification, escalation and response become equally relevant. A security team may be capable of detecting an unauthorised drone approaching a protected site, for example, while only authorised public bodies may be permitted to deploy certain countermeasures. Effective drone defence therefore increasingly depends on clearly defined interfaces between infrastructure operators, private security providers, police and other authorities. This requirement for more integrated security structures is becoming a wider European issue. Baltic Sea countries recently announced plans for a joint drone-defence task force intended to improve information exchange and cooperation in response to growing concerns about surveillance, sabotage and hybrid threats against critical infrastructure. Security Essen reflects this development by addressing not only new security technologies but also the organisational structures required to use them effectively.
New forum brings emergency services, security and defence together
That approach will also be visible in the new Blaulicht Forum – Blue Light Forum, which will make its debut at Security Essen on 22 September. Developed in cooperation with Feuerwehr-Magazin and Rettungs-Magazin, the forum will bring together representatives from fire and rescue services, police, civil protection organisations, the security industry, public authorities and defence. The programme addresses challenges including the protection of emergency-service facilities against fire, intrusion and sabotage, the future role of drones and autonomous systems, CBRNE incidents, hybrid threats and the use of interconnected control centres and communications systems to establish a shared operational picture. Civil-military cooperation will also form part of the discussion, including how organisations with different responsibilities and command structures can coordinate during large-scale incidents. The underlying question reaches far beyond Germany: How can organisations that normally operate independently share information and coordinate decisions when an incident crosses institutional boundaries? For emergency response and infrastructure security, this is becoming increasingly important. Hybrid attacks may combine cyber incidents, physical sabotage, unmanned systems and deliberate disinformation. No single security discipline is likely to provide the complete operational picture.
Critical infrastructure security moves towards an integrated model
Security Essen is reinforcing this approach with a separate KRITIS Forum on 25 September. The new format will bring together critical infrastructure operators, authorities, regulators and technology providers to examine the convergence of physical security, cybersecurity and operational technology. Subjects include NIS2, Germany’s KRITIS regulatory framework, monitoring and detection, control centres, crisis management and the protection of critical processes and systems. The programme reflects a broader shift within the European security market. Critical infrastructure protection is moving away from isolated protection disciplines towards integrated resilience strategies. Video surveillance, access control, intrusion detection, cyber security, drone detection and emergency communications increasingly need to contribute to the same operational picture rather than operate as separate systems. Security Essen 2026 therefore comes at a time when the industry is being asked to deliver more than increasingly sophisticated detection technology. The decisive capability is becoming the ability to turn multiple security signals into a reliable assessment and coordinate an effective response across organisations. For security technology providers, infrastructure operators and public authorities alike, counter-UAS is emerging as one of the most visible examples of this new requirement.
Security Essen will take place at Messe Essen from 22 to 25 September 2026. Most events within the supporting conference and forum programme are accessible to trade visitors and included in the Security Essen exhibition ticket. A day ticket costs €49.
