The IDET International Defence and Security Technology Fair, held every two years, is a major showcase for defence and security technologies in Central Europe. This year, more than 650 companies from 40 countries are presenting at the security trade fairs, and the very first day of the fair saw the world premieres of various types of military equipment and systems, dynamic demonstrations of military, firefighting and police equipment, and a very interesting accompanying programme of expert lectures.

Video: Our editorial team has its own studio at the trade fair, where it invites interesting guests from the Czech Army, the Ministry of Defence, the Defence Committee, representatives of the defence industry and military experts. / CZ DEFENCE

The fair also includes an extensive presentation of the Czech Army, or rather the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic, and visitors can see, for example, TITUS armoured vehicles, the Israeli SPYDER SR air defence system, the ELM-2 Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic, allowing visitors to see, for example, TITUS armoured vehicles, the Israeli SPYDER SR air defence system, the ELM-2084 MMR radar, the Leopard 2A4 tank, the RBS-70NG system, the STARKOM jammer, the DPET passive surveillance system, the CV90 tracked BVP and much more.

The first CV90 IFVs intended for our army should be manufactured in Sweden in the second half of this year, and the Czech Army should begin to gradually take delivery of the new vehicles during 2026. The vehicles will serve in all mechanised battalions of our 7th Mechanised Brigade, based on a 2023 contract for the purchase of 246 of these tracked infantry fighting vehicles for the Czech Army in a total of seven versions.

Yesterday's highlight was the launch of the new Pandur 8x8 EVO vehicle, attended by Minister of Defence Jana Černochová, Director General of the Industrial Cooperation Section of the Ministry of Defence Radka Konderlová, Director of the Communication and Information Systems Section of the Ministry of Defence Brigadier General Petr Šnajdárek, and Chairman of the Defence Industry Section of the Czech Chamber of Commerce Lubomír Kovařík. Petr Šnajdárek, and the Chairman of the Defence Industry Section of the Czech Chamber of Commerce, Lubomír Kovařík.

This is a completely new generation of armoured vehicle, offering fundamental modernisation features that meet the requirements of the modern battlefield. The Pandur 8x8 EVO is the result of work by developers and specialists at Tatra Defence Vehicle and was designed with the needs of the Czech Army in mind, but this platform also has export potential.

The Pandur 8x8 EVO is a fully Czech product in terms of production and delivery, and is the result of domestic development. Unlike previous KBVP Pandur II 8x8 CZ vehicles in service with the Czech Army, the UT30MK2 turret for the KBVP Pandur 8x8 EVO will also be of Czech origin, as Elbit will transfer the technology and know-how required for complete production to the Czech Republic, specifically to Tatra Defence Vehicle.

Our editorial team has its own studio at the fair, where it invites interesting guests from the Czech Army, the Ministry of Defence, the Defence Committee, representatives of the defence industry and military experts. On the first day, we spoke with Brigadier General Zdeněk Mikula, commander of the 7th Mechanised Brigade; Lubor Koudelka, Director General of the Armament and Acquisition Section of the Ministry of Defence; Lubomír Metnar, Chairman of the Defence Committee; Jiří Protiva, Director of the state-owned company LOM PRAHA; Colonel Václav Masopust, Director of the Military University of Defence; Milan Macholán, Commercial Director of ELDIS Pardubice; Filip Vogel, Commercial Director of MSM Group; and Jakub Šimek, Commercial Director of PBS Velká Bíteš. MUDr. Václav Masopust, Director of the Military University Hospital in Prague, Milan Macholán, CEO of PBS Velká Bíteš, Filip Vogel, Commercial Director of ELDIS Pardubice, and Jakub Čmuchálek, Commercial Director of MSM Group.

At the press conference, we also spoke with Minister of Defence Jana Černochová and Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, General Karel Řehka.

On its very first day, IDET 2025 confirmed its role as a key platform for presenting the latest technologies in the field of defence, security and crisis management, where autonomous systems, unmanned vehicles, cyber security, new materials and artificial intelligence play an important role. For example, the TRL Space, TRL Drones, Zaitra and CORAC Engineering consortium presented a comprehensive border protection system that combines satellite data, unmanned aerial vehicles and machine learning. This project, developed in cooperation with the Czech Ministry of Defence and the Czech Ministry of the Interior, attracted attention thanks to its high degree of autonomy and flexibility.