AForce at Drone Day 2026 and Flaming Shield ’26

In the second week of October, AForce went where Lithuania’s defence community gathers. On 8 October we exhibited at Drone Day 2026 at the General Silvestras Žukauskas Training Area near Pabradė. The same week we were in Kaunas for the Flaming Shield ’26 defence technology hackathon. At both events we presented Nocturn NO-02, the first Shahed-type aircraft in Lithuania.

Why we went

The reason was simple: we wanted the military to see what we have built. A conversation at a stand, face to face with the people who know what such systems need to do, says more than any brochure.

Drone Day 2026

This was the fifth Drone Day. Lithuanian companies exhibited unmanned systems for the air, ground and sea, and the programme included demonstration flights and a conference with speakers from the Lithuanian Armed Forces, the Ministry of National Defence and Ukraine. The day also saw the opening of the armed forces’ new SANDBOX “Vanagas” experimentation space.

The audience was mostly military, exactly who we came to meet. Nocturn NO-02 drew a lot of attention, and we spent the day talking with service members and defence representatives.

Flaming Shield ’26: Defend the Sky

Flaming Shield is the defence technology hackathon organised by the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union and Tech-Park Kaunas. Now in its fourth year, it focused this time on airspace security: drone attacks, electronic warfare and cyber threats. More than 300 participants gathered in Kaunas from 9 to 11 October.

We joined as exhibitors rather than as a hackathon team. That left time for what mattered most to us: conversations with military representatives, other companies and visitors. At an event dedicated to defending the sky, a Shahed-type aircraft started plenty of them.

What we took away

We left both events with many good contacts across the armed forces, industry and the wider defence community. Several of those conversations are worth continuing, and we intend to.

Thank you to the organisers of both events, and to everyone who stopped by our stands.