Rising defence demand meets textile innovation

EU defence spending reached a record level of around 381 billion euro in 2025. The European Defence Fund's 2026 Work Programme underscores the sector's material needs by identifying "smart and multifunctional textiles" as a dedicated priority area. Techtextil and Texprocess translate this strategic interest into industrial reality. More than 1,700 exhibitors will gather in Frankfurt from 21 to 24 April 2026, with over 150 companies focusing specifically on protective textiles.

For product developers, the performance of PPE is rooted deep within the textile value chain. Materials must combine ballistic resistance, flame protection and long-term durability without compromising comfort or ergonomics. Regulatory developments such as PFAS restrictions are simultaneously accelerating the search for alternative water-, oil- and dirt-repellent finishes.

Converging requirements in protective fabrics

The show floor reflects how performance expectations are aligning across defence, emergency response and industrial protection. As Lotje Oosterlinck, Product Manager Workwear at Concordia Textiles, explains: "Requirements for protective fabrics are becoming increasingly similar across many fields of application: low weight, high durability, thermal comfort, and reproducible processing." She adds: "What is becoming decisive, therefore, is the ability to develop material solutions across different protection domains and to transfer them into industrial processes tailored to specific applications."

Companies such as the Lenzing Group will present inherently flame-retardant cellulose fibres that integrate heat and flame protection directly into the fibre. HS Hyosung Advanced Materials will showcase high-performance yarns based on synthetic polymers.

Industrial scalability as a decisive factor

For procurement managers and technical leads at system providers, the key issue is whether materials can be processed at scale, in compliance with standards and with reliable reproducibility. This applies equally to ballistic protection systems and to CBRN protective clothing.

In the Performance Apparel Textiles area (Hall 9.0), around 150 exhibitors will demonstrate concrete PPE applications, supported by the new Textile Chemicals & Dyes segment, where more than 30 exhibitors connect chemical processes directly with textile use cases.

Essential mechanical components come from specialists such as Güth & Wolf, JUMBO-Textil and Otto Stockmayer & Sohn, including high-strength narrow textiles, webbings and knitted structures designed for demanding protection systems.

"In protective textiles, market relevance is not determined by a new fibre or finish alone," says Dr. Heike Illing-Günther, Managing Director of the Saxon Textile Research Institute. "Particularly in demanding applications, testability, reproducibility and the reliable transfer into industrial processes are becoming the true benchmarks of innovation."

Techtextil Forum: from concept to scalable application

The Techtextil Forum adds strategic and operational depth. With practical insights from NASA experts and dedicated sessions on "Textile Intelligence" and "Resilient Textiles", the programme focuses on smart functionalities, material resilience and the accelerated transition from concept to industrial implementation.

Techtextil and Texprocess will take place from 21 to 24 April 2026 in Frankfurt am Main.