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ILA 2026: Air power, drones and a search for new recruits
After three days dedicated to industry professionals, the International Aerospace Exhibition (ILA) in Berlin opened to the public over the weekend. Fighter jets, transport aircraft and helicopters drew crowds of visitors, with the Bundeswehr dominating large parts of the site as the exhibition’s largest single exhibitor.
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Beyond the flying displays and aircraft on static show, recruitment was a prominent theme throughout the event. Careers advisers and serving personnel were on hand to discuss military careers, while visitors were given the opportunity to explore cockpits, speak with pilots and learn more about the armed forces’ expanding range of responsibilities.
Colonel Kristof Conrath, who oversaw the Bundeswehr’s presence at this year’s ILA, spoke to Euronews about the decision to showcase capabilities ranging from drones and the P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to air defence systems.
He also discussed the role fighter jets are expected to play in an era increasingly shaped by unmanned technologies, and reflected on the significance of the German Air Force marking its 70th anniversary at this year’s exhibition.
Euronews: You are responsible for the Bundeswehr’s presence at ILA, one of Germany’s biggest aerospace and defence exhibitions. How did you end up in that role, and what considerations guide your decisions on which aircraft, systems and capabilities to put on display?
Colonel Conrath: In fact, the role comes with my position. I serve at the Air Force Troops Command, where leading the project team responsible for the ILA is part of my remit.
I was responsible for the exhibition in 2022, again in 2024, and now for a third time. And I have to say, it has become much more than just a duty – it is a genuine pleasure, largely thanks to the fantastic team we have assembled.
When deciding what to showcase, we consult all branches of the Bundeswehr – the Army, the Navy, the Cyber and Information Domain Service, and the Air Force – and ask them which capabilities best represent their most modern equipment. We didn’t want to display aircraft and systems that people have already seen countless times.
Instead, we aimed to present our newest capabilities. That is why, for example, we chose to bring the Navy’s new P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. We are also displaying the Sea Lion helicopter. The Sea Tiger was originally planned to attend as well, but operational commitments ultimately prevented its participation.
We have also embraced the theme of the Air Force’s 70th anniversary. To mark the occasion, we brought four aircraft featuring special commemorative liveries: the A400M, the CH-53, the Tornado and the Eurofighter.
At the same time, we wanted to reflect the lessons emerging from the war in Ukraine, where drones have become a defining feature of modern warfare. We therefore decided to showcase some of the drone capabilities already available to the Bundeswehr. Visitors can see a range of unmanned systems in the Defence Park.
We are also exhibiting air defence missile systems, which have become increasingly relevant in today’s security environment. Given their importance, it was essential for us to include them at this year’s ILA.
Euronews: You first oversaw the Bundeswehr’s presence at ILA in 2022, just months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Looking back over the past four years, how has the exhibition changed? Have you noticed a shift in the technologies on display or in the conversations taking place across the industry?
Colonel Conrath: The ILA has changed in the sense that we are now able to present our capabilities much more openly. We no longer feel the need to keep them in the background.
There is a broader public understanding today that a country must be capable of defending itself and, if necessary, fighting a war. That capability cannot be built on ordinary vehicles alone; it requires modern military equipment and weapons systems.
We can now put these weapons systems on display, and we can do so with a sense of pride because we have something meaningful to contribute to NATO. I think that was different in the past. For a long time, we lived in what was often described as a situation of being surrounded by friends.
That has now changed fundamentally, and you can see it reflected in public attitudes as well. There is a reason people speak of a Zeitenwende – a historic turning point – and of the special defence fund. The effects are visible here too. Visitors can see for themselves what public investment in defence is being spent on.
Euronews: Is there anything you are particularly proud of?
Colonel Conrath: We can certainly be proud of the response we have received. Of course, this is not something we achieve alone. While the Bundeswehr may be the largest single exhibitor at the ILA, the event itself is organised by the exhibition company together with the Federation of German Industries (BDI).
If we succeed in generating this level of interest among visitors, that is definitely something to be proud of. The public days, on Saturday and Sunday, are particularly important for us. That is when we make a major effort in public engagement and recruitment. Attracting the next generation of personnel is one of the key objectives of our presence here.
We want to bring the Bundeswehr closer to the public and present it as an attractive employer. One of our aims is to encourage people to ask themselves what kinds of careers the armed forces actually offer. Events like the ILA allow us to showcase the breadth of opportunities available and, hopefully, spark people’s interest.
Once that interest has been sparked, we have the right people on hand to provide more detailed guidance. How can I build a career in the Bundeswehr? What different pathways are available? That is why our youth officers and careers advisers are here. For the Bundeswehr, the ILA offers a comprehensive platform. It allows us not only to present our capabilities, but also to engage directly with potential recruits and achieve precisely those outreach and recruitment goals.
Euronews: This year marks the 70th anniversary of the German Air Force. How significant is that milestone for the Bundeswehr’s presence at the ILA, and how are you using the exhibition to reflect on the Air Force’s history as well as its future?
Colonel Conrath: Yes, absolutely. It is a birthday we are marking throughout the year, not just today. Looking back over the past 70 years, it is a story we can be proud of.
What makes the Air Force special is its people. At the end of the day, it is all about the team. You can see that here as well, not only within the Air Force but across the different branches of the Bundeswehr. Achievements like this are only possible through teamwork. Everyone works hand in hand, and that spirit of cooperation is what makes it all come together.
Euronews: Drones have become one of the defining technologies of modern warfare. Some experts now question whether fighter jets will remain indispensable in the long term. Do we still need fighter aircraft in the age of drones?
Colonel Conrath: I am firmly convinced that we still need fighter jets. Even if we have highly advanced drone capabilities based on GPS, cloud technology and digital networks, those systems can be disrupted. GPS can be jammed, communications can be interrupted and cloud-based services may not always be available.
We need a human being in the system making the decisions. We certainly do not want AI-based systems autonomously deciding what to attack.
That is why I am convinced that fighter aircraft will remain essential. In the future, they may increasingly act as command platforms, coordinating and directing swarms of other systems, but they will still need to have a human being on board who can make decisions in real time.
After all, what happens if communications are disrupted or the flow of information between operators and decision-makers is cut off? In those situations, someone has to be able to assess the situation and make decisions on the spot.
Euronews: This week, Quantum Systems presented its new Pulse P19 platform, which can be flown either by a pilot or operated remotely. Do systems like this point towards the future of military aviation, and how do you see them complementing established platforms such as the Eurofighter and the F-35?
Colonel Conrath: I think there are several possible approaches, and this is certainly an interesting one. Depending on the situation, you can operate the system either with a pilot or remotely. There are many different variants and concepts out there. The market is developing at tremendous speed.
In Ukraine, new threats are emerging all the time, and systems are constantly being adapted to meet them. In the end, you always respond to the threat landscape as it exists at that moment. So yes, this is one of several options that could play a role in the future.
Euronews: The flying displays are one of the biggest attractions at the ILA. When putting together the programme, how do you decide which aircraft should demonstrate their capabilities in the air and which are better showcased on the ground?
Colonel Conrath: We basically went all in. We brought every type of fighter jet we operate and every helicopter model that was available, apart from those that could not take part for operational reasons.
We have the A400M here, as well as the helicopters I mentioned earlier. We also have an aerial parade, including a tanker aircraft carrying out air-to-air refuelling with fighter jets. Everything we were able to bring, we brought.
Of course, we are not the only ones flying here. There are several industrial helicopter demonstrations, drone flights, the Italian contribution and the Airbus Racer. We also had an A350 perform a fly-past.
You also have to remember that we are operating at the capital’s airport, which continues to run its normal flight schedule throughout the summer. Everything therefore has to be coordinated around regular air traffic. We cannot simply decide to put on a large-scale airshow whenever we like.
I think we have found a good balance. Visitors can explore the exhibits on the ground and watch the flying displays in the air. Our aim was to provide a broad overview of the Bundeswehr’s capabilities, and I believe we have succeeded in doing that.
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This is part six of a series examining the challenges confronting the NATO alliance.
Germany is pledging to become a more powerful military force inside NATO, with Berlin’s ambassador to Washington telling Fox News Digital that the country is ready to assume greater responsibility for European security after decades in which the United States carried much of the alliance’s military burden.
“Germany is stepping up — we heard the call!” German Ambassador to the United States Jens Hanefeld told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said Germany’s armed forces should become the strongest conventional army in Europe, a goal Hanefeld said is now backed by Berlin’s new military strategy.
UK, GERMAN DEFENSE OFFICIALS DEFEND MILITARY BUILDUP UNDER RUSSIAN THREATS
Germany is pledging to become a more powerful military force inside NATO, with Berlin’s ambassador to Washington telling Fox News Digital that the country is ready to assume greater responsibility for European security. (Kira Hofmann/Photothek via Getty Images)
“Russia’s illegal war of aggression has shaken old certainties in Europe and Germany as the international rules we have relied on are being challenged,” Hanefeld said. “This changes the strategic environment we operate in.”
“Today, Germany is Ukraine’s largest supporter,” Hanefeld said in written answers. “Germany’s decision to become Europe’s strongest conventional army, well anchored in the NATO alliance, is an ongoing commitment.”
Germany’s historic military shift
The shift marks a historic turn for a country whose postwar military identity was built around restraint.
After World War II, West Germany was allowed to rearm only within a Western alliance framework, joining NATO in 1955 and building the Bundeswehr as a force embedded in collective defense rather than independent German power. For decades after reunification, Germany relied heavily on the U.S. security umbrella and often lagged behind NATO spending targets, feeding repeated American complaints that Europe’s largest economy was not pulling its weight.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 forced Berlin to begin rethinking that posture. Then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the shift a “Zeitenwende,” or turning point. Merz is now seeking to turn that phrase into a long-term military buildup.
In Germany, Hanefeld said, the changes underway are often described as a “Zeitenwende,” but he acknowledged that the transformation does not come easily given the country’s history.
GERMAN DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS MILITARY DRAFT COULD RETURN IF VOLUNTEER NUMBERS FALL SHORT
Ammunition for a howitzer is displayed during NATO training at a German army base in Munster, Germany, on May 10, 2022, involving up to 7,500 soldiers from nine nations. (Fabian Bimmer/Reuters)
Trump–Merz tensions complicate NATO politics
The effort is unfolding against a backdrop of public friction between President Donald Trump and Merz, a dispute that a U.S. defense expert warned could complicate critical decisions on deterring Russia.
The tension escalated after Merz criticized Washington’s handling of the Iran war, saying the United States was being “humiliated” by Iran’s leadership in negotiations and questioning the Trump administration’s exit strategy. Trump fired back by accusing Merz of being soft on Iran’s nuclear program, even though Merz has said Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon.
The dispute quickly spilled into NATO politics. Trump later threatened to review possible U.S. troop reductions in Germany and said Merz should spend more time ending the war in Ukraine and “fixing his broken country” than commenting on Iran.
Then Merz added another irritant. Speaking to a young audience in Germany, he said he would not advise his children to live, study or work in the United States “today,” citing America’s changing social climate, while also saying he remained “a great admirer of America,” but “My admiration isn’t growing at the moment.”
GERMANY’S MERZ TO ‘ADAPT’ TO TRUMP DURING HIGH-STAKES MEETING ON TARIFFS, DEFENSE
President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 3, 2026, to discuss issues including recent U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former U.S. European Command official, told Fox News Digital that Merz was wrong to speak that way about Trump at a moment when Germany needs Washington’s support.
“Talking trash about the president at a meeting with school kids in Germany is not professional diplomacy, and especially a president who is well-known to be prickly as President Trump,” Montgomery said. “Germany is not the big country in this relationship, the United States is, and Merz needed to show more discipline as a national leader.”
Montgomery said those tensions risk affecting hard security decisions, including long-range strike capabilities in Germany.
He criticized recent U.S. moves to delay or potentially cancel a rotational deployment of long-range strike systems to Germany, which he said would have included Tomahawk, SM-6 or Precision Strike Missile capabilities. Reuters reported in May that Germany’s defense ministry said there had been no “definitive cancellation” of the deployment.
“Both of these are bad decisions being made by our Department of Defense,” Montgomery said. “These are weapons systems that are incredibly important to deterring Russia.”
He said the goal is not to fight Russia in Poland, the Baltics or the Suwałki Gap, but to prevent Moscow from attacking in the first place.
“And those long-range strike weapons are a big part of that. And I’m very disappointed in our Department of Defense,” Montgomery said.
A source with knowledge of the matter said that despite briefings about possible decreases in U.S. involvement, the U.S.–Germany defense relationship remains strong and cooperation remains close.
‘PUTIN IS PUSHING THE LIMITS’: EASTERN ALLIES WARN TRUMP NOT TO PULL US TROOPS
U.S. Army soldiers carry a simulated casualty into a MEDEVAC vehicle during NATO’s Sword 26 exercise, which tests new battlefield evacuation methods using drones and AI-assisted medical technology in Bemowo Piskie, Poland, May 11, 2026. (Kuba Stezycki/Reuters)
Europe’s future defense industrial base
“Germany developing a large, impressive defense industrial base is good for NATO, it’s good for Western security, and it’s even good for our primes,” Montgomery said, arguing that Germany, not Poland, France or the United Kingdom, is most likely to become the “beating heart” of Europe’s future defense industrial base.
Germany has long been central to the U.S. military presence in Europe. Hanefeld pointed to Ramstein Air Base, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and the training area in Grafenwöhr as examples of Germany’s continuing importance to American power projection and NATO deterrence.
“These facilities serve U.S. national security interests and U.S. military personnel and further NATO’s ability to deter and defend,” he said. “I am confident: NATO will remain transatlantic at its core, but will become more European over the next decade.”
At the 2025 NATO summit in The Hague, allies agreed to invest 5% of GDP annually in defense and defense-related spending by 2035, including core military spending and broader security investments. Merz said at the time that the decision was meant to safeguard “freedom, security and prosperity,” according to the German government.
Hanefeld said Germany is already moving to meet that standard, saying Berlin will increase defense spending to 5% of GDP “well before” 2035 and recruit almost 100,000 new active-duty soldiers into the Bundeswehr.
He also pushed back against U.S. critics who argue that Germany and other European allies are still not carrying their fair share of the defense burden. Hanefeld said Germany has signed more than 380 contracts worth more than $33 billion with U.S. defense companies to procure and manufacture fighter jets, transport helicopters, air defense systems and ammunition.
“It’s a down payment on the transatlantic future and on our political commitment to shift the burden for deterrence and defense to Europe,” Hanefeld said.
TRUMP PUSHED NATO TO SPEND BIG — NOW COMES THE HARDER QUESTION: CAN EUROPE ACTUALLY FIGHT?
Sept 24, 2025; Augusta, Georgia, USA; H.E. Jens Hanefeld, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the U.S., speaks during the Aurubis first melt ceremony at Aurubis Richmond. Aurubis is a metal recycling plant. (Katie Goodale – Augusta Chronicle/USA TODAY NETWORK)
Defending NATO’s eastern flank
One of Germany’s most visible commitments is its permanent brigade in Lithuania, expected to include around 5,000 German military and civilian personnel. The Bundeswehr says the force is intended to become fully operational for the defense of NATO’s eastern flank in the Baltic region within three years.
Hanefeld called the brigade one of Germany’s “signature efforts” to reassure Baltic allies that NATO “will defend every inch of allied territory.”
For Germany, the change is not only about money. It is a political and cultural break with decades of caution about military power. For the United States, it is also a test of whether the ally long criticized by Trump and other U.S. leaders for underspending can now become the European backbone Washington has demanded.
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NATO peacekeeping mission KFOR marks its 20th anniversary during a ceremony in Pristina. (Laura Hasani/Reuters)
Hanefeld said that is exactly where Berlin intends to go.
“NATO will remain transatlantic at its core,” he said, “but will become more European over the next decade.”
World
UNRWA fires 70 Gaza staffers amid allegations of Hamas ties, says terminations not admission of guilt
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The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) fired 70 staff members working in Gaza after long-standing claims from Israeli authorities that the agency is a collaborator with the Hamas terrorist group.
“Today, the Commissioner-General ad interim of UNRWA, Christian Saunders, took the decision to terminate the employment of 70 UNRWA staff members in Gaza with immediate effect,” UNRWA wrote in a statement Friday.
UNRWA insisted its decision was not an admission of guilt but one taken “to mitigate safety and security risks for the refugees the Agency serves under its mandate and for UNRWA personnel and premises.”
The agency claims it has “repeatedly asked the Israeli authorities to provide information and evidence to substantiate allegations against individual UNRWA staff members in Gaza but has received no response to date.”
ISRAEL SAYS UN MISLEADS WORLD AS GAZA AID STOLEN AND DIVERTED FROM CIVILIANS
A Palestinian boy walks near a UNRWA school sheltering displaced people that was hit in an overnight Israeli strike in Gaza City July 5, 2025. (Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters)
“The dismissal of the staff is not part of a disciplinary process and does not constitute in any way a validation of the claims made against them,” the UNRWA statement read.
The firings follow a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) investigation that referred more than 100 UNRWA staff members for suspension or dismissal.
USAID’s investigation, the results of which the agency published June 5, assessed that a number of UNRWA’s employees were deeply enmeshed in Hamas’ civil society and military operations.
The investigation results included mention of “a deputy school principal serving as an al-Qassam deputy company commander in the Ain Gallout/5th infantry battalion, a deputy school principal serving as squad leader for the Khan Younis Brigade/2nd infantry battalion” and “a teacher with expertise as a sniper for Hamas.”
Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, hands over Israeli hostages Omer Shem-Tov, Eliya Cohen and Omer Wenkert to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Nuseirat Refugee Camp, Gaza, on Feb. 22, 2025, as part of the seventh exchange under the Jan. 19 ceasefire deal. (Ashraf Amra/Anadolu)
The investigation also found numerous school teachers and principals it claimed to have participated directly in Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.
Israeli authorities have long charged UNRWA with being directly tied to Hamas.
“Since October 7, evidence of numerous incidents of Hamas exploiting UNRWA infrastructure and UNRWA employees being involved in terrorist activity has been exposed. Civilians in Gaza have even stated that UNRWA is Hamas,” the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) wrote in a January web post.
Israeli soldiers stand inside an evacuated United Nations Relief and Works Agency compound in Gaza City during a media tour organized by the Israeli army on Feb. 8, 2024. (Jack Guez/AFP)
Additionally, the IDF claimed, citing intelligence findings, that “among the 12,521 UNRWA employees in the Gaza Strip, at least 1,462 (12%) are members of Hamas or other designated terrorist organizations.”
UNRWA SCHOOLS ‘HIJACKED BY HAMAS,’ WATCHDOG REPORT WARNS
Israel’s Foreign Ministry pushed back on UNRWA’s defense framing and claims that Israel had not supplied evidence of employee-Hamas collaboration.
“UNRWA’s statement on the termination of 70 employees, while blaming the victim, Israel, and without even mentioning the word ‘Hamas,’ is a cynical cover-up,” the ministry wrote in a statement shared on X.
UNRWA’s headquarters in Gaza City, Gaza, Feb. 21, 2024. (Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu)
“The responsibility to purge terrorism lies solely with the UN, yet Hamas membership remains simply acceptable within UNRWA’s ranks. By harboring terrorists and letting its facilities serve as Hamas headquarters, UNRWA has become an arm of Hamas.”
UNRWA, for its part, denies being an active collaborator with Hamas but insists working with the group is an operational necessity for distributing aid in Gaza.
“UNRWA, similar to other United Nations entities, does not have police or intelligence capacities and must rely on the cooperation and assistance of Member States, including the State of Israel as the Occupying Power, to protect its operations and neutrality amid high risks in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the agency wrote in its statement Friday.
In April, UNRWA’s Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) announced the results of an investigation into 19 employees accused of participating in Oct. 7. UNRWA terminated 12 of the employees in January. Of the remaining seven cases, UNRWA had dismissed one, citing a lack of evidence. The remaining six cases were still under investigation as of April, according to the agency.
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President Donald Trump’s administration weighed levying terrorism-related sanctions against UNRWA in December.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also referred to UNRWA as “a subsidiary of Hamas.”
Fox News Digital contacted UNRWA and a spokesperson for the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations but did not immediately receive a response.
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