From drones to ground vehicles: Check out day 1 of AUSA

WASHINGTON — International defense firms carted out a variety of air and ground vehicles to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in downtown Washington for this year’s Association of the United States Army conference. The largest annual trade show in the US draws thousands of attendees every year, and this year we’re expecting lots of drones and counter-drone tech on display, along with some other heavier-equipment items. You can see that and more in a collection of images from day one of the expo below.

And be sure to check out our comprehensive coverage of the trade show right here.

Patriot, who is expected to go to a wounded veteran when the dog’s training finishes, is happy to greet attendees outside the Shield AI booth on the show floor. (Breaking Defense)
A close-up look at a munition from Sierra Nevada’s Brawlr (Battery Revolving Advanced Weapons Launcher Reconfigurable) air-defense system, as seen at the 2026 AUSA conference. (Breaking Defense)
Sierra Nevada’s Brawlr air defense system at the 2026 AUSA conference. (Breaking Defense)
Oshkosh’s electric Joint Light Tactical Vehicle on the AUSA show floor Oct. 12, 2026. (Breaking Defense)
Hanwha Defense USA showed off its 155 mm artillery shells at the 2026 AUSA expo. (Breaking Defense)
AEO Night Hawk Systems displayed their surveillance assembly, with sensors honing in on bystanders on the AUSA conference floor. (Breaking Defense)
AeroVironment’s VAPOR is an all-electric, single-rotor vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) helicopter unmanned aircraft system. Here it is suspended above attendees at the 2026 AUSA conference. (Breaking Defense)
Goodyear representatives brought a sturdy, but very unusual, “moon tire” for lunar exploration to the 2026 AUSA expo. (Breaking Defense)
Colt Optics had one of the busier displays, with dozens of attendees observing a wall of assault rifles with specialized optics at the 2026 AUSA expo. (Breaking Defense)