MSPO is one of the largest and most prestigious defense exhibitions in Central and Eastern Europe, and for the Ukrainian defense industry it remains an important platform for developing international cooperation, attracting investment, localizing production, and concluding new contracts. The presence of the National Association of Ukraine's Defense Industry (NAUDI) at such an event, according to participants, shows that partners' interest in Ukrainian defense technologies is not fading: the Association's member companies are creating new opportunities for joint production and entry into global markets. The promise of the developments presented at MSPO-2026, as NAUDI emphasizes, is already being confirmed in combat.
"Saygak-1": factory protection instead of Kevlar and mesh
The "Saygak-1" is a four-wheel-drive armored vehicle based on a pickup truck, with ballistic protection level PZSA 3 and mine protection level 1 per STANAG 4569. The vehicle is designed for a crew of two and three troops, reaches a top speed of up to 140 km/h, and has a range of up to 600 km. According to NAUDI CEO Serhiy Honcharov, the main advantage is that, for a relatively modest cost, the army gets protected equipment that gives the troops a real chance to survive on the battlefield. Honcharov notes that the argument about the "broad front" and the supposed unneed for armored vehicles looks strange, since the alternative—volunteer pickups, KRAZ trucks, or the recently purchased Chinese and Indian-Korean pickups—is no less vulnerable. The "Saygak" protects against fragments and the blast of anti-vehicle mines, whereas an ordinary civilian car offers no protection from a mine at all; that is precisely why soldiers often independently reinforce civilian Toyota Land Cruiser 200, Pathfinder, Patrol and similar vehicles with mesh and Kevlar. The "Saygak," by contrast, is a ready-made factory solution that requires no extra time or effort from the troops, and its speed and maneuverability exceed those of ground robotic complexes, which move significantly slower.
"Vartha-3": an MRAP platform with firepower up to 30 mm
The "Vartha-3" belongs to the MRAP class and features ballistic protection level PZSA 6 and mine protection level 3a/3b per STANAG 4569. The vehicle is equipped with a 4×4 four-wheel-drive chassis, a 326 hp engine, and is designed for a crew of two and eight troops. According to Honcharov, this is a significantly higher level of protection that can be used as a platform for many solutions: a protected command post, a high-mobility and high-protection UAV control point that withstands not only anti-vehicle but also anti-tank mines. Damage to the vehicle in such a case is inevitable, however, thanks to its high mobility, the crew remains alive. In addition, there is an option to install combat modules with a caliber of up to 30 mm—the same firepower as the BMP-2, but at several times lower cost and with a higher level of armor protection than the BMP-2, whose protection, in NAUDI's assessment, is insufficient even against small arms.
RAM-2X: Ukraine's answer to the Switchblade
The RAM-2X strike UAV with an X-shaped wing was presented for the first time at MSPO-2026 by NAUDI member company Ukrspecsystems. The system has been used by the Defense Forces of Ukraine since 2024, however, due to security restrictions, its name and manufacturer had not been disclosed until now. According to NAUDI data, the RAM-2X has already destroyed more than 450 targets, and, in the assessment of Association CEO Serhiy Honcharov, the aircraft is a significantly cheaper Ukrainian counterpart to the American Switchblade, which in some respects is no worse and sometimes even better.
Thousands of reconnaissance drones and the question of independence
No less telling, according to Honcharov, is the demand for domestically produced reconnaissance drones: Ukraine needs thousands of such aircraft, and it is fundamentally important not to depend on equipment from an enemy's partner country—with all the risks of surveillance, location tracking, and artificial degradation of flight performance. This, as NAUDI summarizes, is the logic behind all the novelties presented at MSPO-2026: ready-made, certified, and combat-proven solutions that reduce dependence on imports and give Ukrainian military personnel real advantages on the battlefield.
