This year’s ASDA is the largest so far, showcasing the greatest achievements of the defence industry

Today, 10 April 2025, the eight Adriatic Sea Defense & Aerospace Exhibition and Conference (ASDA 2025) closed in the Zagreb Arena.

The last day of the exhibition was special because it was open to the general public, resulting in a record number of visitors.

In addition to representatives of exhibiting companies, the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Croatia, the Croatian Armed Forces, the Ministry of the Interior, other defence and security institutions, academic community and foreign delegations, the exhibition in the Arena Zagreb also attracted pupils, students and citizens interested in learning about the latest achievements of the defence industry.

Ivica Grebenar, acting director of the Armament Directorate of the Ministry of Defence, pointed out that this year’s ASDA was logistically and organizationally demanding due to the large number of exhibitors: “I believe we achieved our goals. Together with TNT Productions LLC, the Ministry of Defence was the main organizer of the event. Our primary task was to provide an opportunity for Croatian manufacturers to present themselves on home ground not only to foreign companies and delegations, but also to the domestic public and the Ministry of Defence,” he said, expressing his satisfaction with the fact that the exhibition was open to the public today and thus attracted so many visitors.

Pupils and students enthusiastic about the displayed equipment

Thanks to the large outdoor exhibition area, visitors could view an impressive tactical-technical display by the Croatian Armed Forces and the United States Armed Forces, and in promotional tents they could obtain expert information about the role, tasks, capabilities and organizational units of the CAF, military university study programmes and voluntary military training.

Among the weapons systems that attracted the greatest interest of visitors were the Leopard 2A8 tank demonstrator, HIMARS and MLRS self-propelled multiple rocket launchers, as well as Bradley and Patria armoured fighting vehicles.

“My father is in the military, and I’ve always loved war films and games. Now I’m here to see something live. I’m most interested in Croatian rifles and tanks, and I mostly came to see the Leopard!”, said visitor Luka Pezić, a student at the Faculty of Economics and Business in Zagreb.

About ASDA

The ASDA exhibition was held for the eighth time in Croatia and for the first time in Zagreb, under the auspices of the Government of the Republic of Croatia and with the support of the Ministry of Defence, organized by the US company TNT Productions LLC, specialized in organizing trade fair exhibitions.

This year’s edition was the largest yet, with 236 exhibitors from 28 countries, 48 of which are Croatian exhibitors. According to the organizers’ overall assessment, it was the most successful exhibition to date, not only in terms of the number of exhibitors, but also in terms of public interest, confirming the importance of such events for promoting the domestic defence industry and military careers.