ILA Berlin 2024 reaches for new horizons

Every ILA segment is experiencing high demand – be it aviation, space, defence and support, suppliers, advanced air mobility or the ILA Talent Hub, with a total of around 600 exhibitors from 30 countries expected to attend.

In addition to exhibitors such as Airbus, Deutsche Aircraft, the Bundeswehr, German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and European Space Agency (ESA), numerous companies are at ILA for the first time or back after a long break. They include Honeywell Aerospace Technologies from the US, Bombardier from Canada and Embraer from Brazil.

This year there is a special focus on startups. Among them are the world’s leading aerospace and defence accelerator Starburst as well as brigkAIR – an incubator specialising in mobility of the third dimension. The Munich-based company Rivada Space Networks is also expected to attend. It aims to launch a constellation of 600 highly secure and laser-networked satellites into space to provide companies and governments with an independent ultra-fast data web.

At around 35%, the proportion of international exhibitors at ILA has risen compared with 2022. Exhibitors from the US, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Romania, Italy, Poland and Ukraine are showcasing their innovations on a total of 20 joint stands. This is the first time that Finland, a new member of NATO, is hosting its own pavilion. The Association of the Finnish Defence and Aerospace Industries (AFDA) is represented here together with companies such as OKU, a supplier of mechanical precision parts, the cybersecurity specialist Insta, as well as KT Shelter – which specialises in mobile shelters for helicopters, fighter jets and drones. Israel is also strongly represented with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Rafael and Elbit. German federal states are also taking part. Berlin, Brandenburg, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Lower Saxony and Saxony are displaying their aerospace innovations on joint stands.

ILA Berlin 2024 is presenting a comprehensive range of aircraft, including drones, transport helicopters as well as commercial airliners. There are more flying displays than at ILA 2022, with four slots scheduled daily to take place parallel with flight operations at neighbouring BER Airport.

The Static Display is where visitors can experience innovation and new technology for a more sustainable future first-hand. One of the highlights is the Do328 Uplift, which the German Aerospace Centre is presenting to the general public for the first time and which is on view at the ILA Plaza at the centre of the exhibition grounds at BER. The Do328 is being used as an airborne test bed to investigate eco-friendly aviation technology including synthetic fuels and hydrogen as possible SAFs of the future. The flying laboratory is intended to be used by the industry, SMEs, startups and research facilities to test new climate-friendly systems, fuel technologies and propulsion systems under real-life conditions and to accelerate their introduction onto the aviation market.

With the ultra-lightweight Elektra Trainer from Elektra Solar the focus is also on innovative propulsion systems. A limited-production run of the first ultra-lightweight electric aeroplane to be type-approved in Germany is already under way. Its maximum range is around 300km, which means that travelling across Europe by electric aircraft with only a few stops is possible already.

A wide range of military aircraft is also on display at ILA Berlin. Lockheed Martin is represented with its F-35 multirole stealth fighter. A Tornado and Eurofighter, mainstays of NATO’s air policing missions to defend the alliance, are also on display, along with an A400M transporter aircraft and CH-53 and NH-90 helicopters. Unmanned aerial vehicles including MIRA, a hypersonic drone, and the GRILLE rescue and evacuation drone are also on view. And this is just the start. Over the coming weeks there will be confirmation of further aircraft which visitors can experience at ILA both on the ground and in the air.

ILA Berlin is open to trade visitors from 5-7 June and to the general public on the weekend of 8-9 June from 10am to 6pm. On 7 June, the Talent Hub is bringing specialists and employers together on the stands at ILA, giving a new boost to companies and careers.

www.ila-berlin.com