With an extensive display of air and land vehicles, additional weapon systems, and also infantry tasks, the Bundeswehr was again the largest single exhibitor at this year’s International Aerospace Exhibition ILA 2026 in Berlin. According to Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who visited the event on Friday of the past week, around 800 soldiers were involved, including 80 from the reserve.
In view of security-policy developments in recent years, the ILA has anyway strongly evolved into the defense sector with displays across all domains of military technology. Even under these conditions, alongside the Air Force, the Army, the Navy and other organizational areas dominated the proceedings, as NATO partner participation presumably declined noticeably due to the real deployment situation. Practically all of the Bundeswehr’s current aircraft were shown in the static display, mostly also in flight.
Bundeswehr Shows Helicopters, Aircraft and Combat Robots
A joint services highlight was once again the demonstration of an airborne landing exercise with air cover provided by Tiger attack helicopters, the dropping of reconnaissance teams via fast-roping from the NH90 light transport helicopter, and subsequent pickup by the Luftwaffe’s CH-53 medium transport helicopters. In several versions, the light attack helicopter H145 could be seen: in the training and liaison variant, the SAR version, and in the role of supporting special forces with an MG 6 Minigun.
The Air Force’s Protection Regiment had not only brought protected vehicles such as the Dingo, but also took on practical security tasks on the airfield alongside the Military Police. The Bundeswehr Guard Battalion was represented with a demonstration of its drill team. And of course the A400M, Eurofighter and Tornado were seen in flight, also in formation with the aerial tanker A330 MRTT. For the first time, the submarine hunter Boeing P-8A Poseidon of the Naval Aviation, commissioned this year, was on display.
The stealth fighter F-35, which will initially be routed to training in the United States in September, was also on display in Bundeswehr livery as a 1:1 mock-up and, from the American side, even “in real life.” Also visible were the new air defense system IRIS-T SLM as well as various drones and drone defense systems. A standout at the career guidance stand was a “manned” combat suit or combat robot in Transformer look. This, however, apparently is not intended for cross-service introduction within the Bundeswehr.
