The IMDS International Maritime Defence Show has been held at the Lenexpo (Harbour, Vasilievskiy Island) exhibition complex, Saint Petersburg since 2003.

The organizer of the show is the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation assisted by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, Government of Saint-Petersburg and JSC Rosoboronexport.

Rosoboronexport has traditionally attended and sponsored IMDS.

Throughout its existence, IMDS has become one of the world’s leading shows in the field of military and civilian shipbuilding and naval armaments. Every time the show enjoys a higher status and a greater number of participating countries, which confirms its high position in the global rating of arms and military equipment exhibitions.

The show covers the following areas: military and civilian shipbuilding, weapons, armaments, weapon control systems, combat control systems, navigational units and systems, communications equipment and systems, radio electronic, radio technical and sonar armaments, power plants, ship systems and units, auxiliary equipment, naval aviation (ship and shore-based), navigational/hydrographic and hydro meteorological support, armaments of shore-based Navy units and many other topics dealing with construction and support of the Navy.

The agenda of the show includes the following items:

- exhibition section located in the Harbour, Saint Petersburg;

- demonstration of warships and motor boats at the quays of the Marine Station;

- demonstration flights of naval aviation over the Gulf of Finland; demonstration flights of the aircraft of the Russian Navy at the airfield in Pushkin;

- demonstration flights of the Russian Air Force aerobatic teams;

- demonstration of artillery systems at the Rzhevka Russian MoD firing ground.