ILA Berlin 2026: Europe’s Space & SAF Sectors Reflect on Its Strategic Future

The ILA Berlin Air Show 2026 closed leaving behind a complex legacy  in many ways a true symbol of the current state of Europe’s aerospace industry. While the event celebrated technological advances in sustainability, space exploration and advanced air mobility, it also laid bare the deep crisis affecting the continent’s most ambitious joint defence project: the Future Combat Air System (FCAS).

 

The trilateral framework conceived back in 2017 by France, Germany and Spain now appears largely outdated, even as some technology‑focused workstreams continue. Away from the political spotlight, however, the Berlin edition showed that Europe’s real innovative strength lies in a widespread ecosystem: major industrial groups, Tier‑1 suppliers, research centres and tech start‑ups that are redefining the very architecture of future aircraft.

 

 

 

Defence Earthquake: The FCAS Programme Crisis

 

The main topic dominating discussions at ExpoCenter Airport was the political and industrial breakdown at the heart of FCAS — its core element, the New Generation Fighter (NGF).

 

After years of friction between industrial partners, failed mediation between Dassault Aviation and Airbus Defence and Space led German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron to acknowledge that the project in its original form was no longer viable.

 

This flagship programme  with full‑lifecycle costs estimated by multiple industry analyses in the tens of billions of euros, and potentially exceeding € 100 billion  reveals deep divergences, both industrial and operational.

 

- Industrial stance: Dassault has consistently claimed exclusive leadership in aircraft design  a position unacceptable to Airbus, which represents German and Spanish interests and fears gradual erosion of strategic capabilities.

- Operational requirements: The partners’ needs proved increasingly difficult to align. France requires an aircraft capable of carrier‑borne operations and integration with the future ASN4G nuclear strike component; Germany prioritises conventional air‑superiority performance and full interoperability within NATO architectures.

 

 

 

The Day After: Team Gen 6 is Born

 

The FCAS impasse did not halt the search for alternative paths.

 

In Berlin, Airbus formally launched Team Gen 6  an industrial and technology coalition not yet a fully approved government programme, but structured to build the capabilities needed for a future sixth‑generation combat system.

 

It brings together Germany’s key players: Hensoldt, Diehl Defence, MTU Aero Engines, MBDA Deutschland, Rohde & Schwarz, Autoflug, Liebherr  alongside leading Spanish firms including Indra, GMV, Grupo Oesia, ITP Aero, Sener.

 

Goal: create a leaner, more agile industrial base  while keeping doors open to future cooperation with other European partners such as Sweden’s Saab.

 

Meanwhile, major parts of FCAS’ broader “system‑of‑systems” architecture  notably Combat Cloud and Remote Carriers  will continue joint development between France and Germany, to preserve value from investments already made.

 

Europe’s combat‑air landscape is becoming increasingly diversified: Team Gen 6, France’s independent path, GCAP, and the evolution of Eurofighter will coexist  and compete in the coming years.

 

 

 

Commercial & Regional Aviation: Decarbonisation Enters Operational Phase

 

In civil‑aviation halls, decarbonisation was the undisputed theme.

 

The German Aerospace Center (DLR) drew strong attention with D328 UpLift: a flying testbed based on a Dornier 328‑100, used to validate 100 % Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and measure emissions across all operating envelopes.

 

Results feed directly into Deutsche Aircraft’s D328eco  a new‑generation regional turboprop designed from the outset for low‑aromatic synthetic fuels, optimised also for fuel burn, noise footprint and emissions.

 

ILA also highlighted how the SAF supply chain is fast becoming global. Among international speakers, Bernard Onguso  author of the Fueling African Aviation series  outlined East Africa’s strong potential for advanced biofuels, green hydrogen and synthetic fuels derived from agricultural waste streams.

 

Beyond technology, regulation stood out as a key driver: the ReFuelEU Aviation framework remains the main policy lever to scale demand  even as challenges persist regarding production volumes, logistics infrastructure and final cost impact.

 

 

 

Electric Propulsion: Moving from Concept to Orders

 

German start‑up VÆRIDION announced binding commitments, preliminary agreements and expressions of interest for over 100 aircraft in its Microliner family. It also confirmed successful completion of the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) with General Atomics  a critical milestone toward programme maturity.

 

Alongside airframes, discussions focused heavily on regulatory & operational frameworks: evolution of EASA SC‑VTOL, vertiport development, and integration of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) into the European airspace structure.

 

 

 

Tomorrow’s Engines & the “More‑Electric” Aircraft Concept

 

At the Clean Aviation stand, debate centred on propulsion architectures for the next generation of commercial aircraft:

 

- OFELIA programme: linked to the CFM RISE / Open Fan concept, targeting > 20 % lower fuel burn vs today’s turbofans.

- HYDEA & AMBER: exploring hybrid‑electric propulsion, adding electric power boost during high‑energy flight phases.

 

Supporting this shift: Liebherr‑Aerospace and Avio Aero, advancing electric actuators, high‑efficiency compressors, energy‑management systems and all key technologies for the More‑Electric Aircraft paradigm.

 

The wider ecosystem benefits from continued funding via Horizon Europe and Clean Aviation, covering advanced materials, additive manufacturing and aerospace cybersecurity.

 

 

 

Emerging & Autonomous Systems

 

ILA 2026 also previewed technologies shaping the industry in decades ahead:

 

✅ Airbus: introduced magnetic‑quantum navigation, designed to reduce reliance on GNSS and increase resilience against jamming/interference.

✅ DLR: unveiled rapid‑analysis systems for SAF quality & composition.

✅ Alta Ares, Quantum Systems: demonstrated advanced AI integration within autonomous platforms and collaborative defence networks.

 

 

 

U‑Space: Building Europe’s New Low‑Altitude Sky

 

One of the clearest emerging milestones: U‑space is now the reference architecture for low‑altitude airspace management.

 

SESAR and EASA confirmed U‑space is becoming Europe’s standard for airspace below 1 200 ft:

 

- Services U1 / U2: widely deployed

- U3: rolling out

- Target specs: < 200 ms latency, ultra‑tight separation minima, integration with ATM / remote towers, dynamic airspace allocation + mandatory Remote ID.

 

Special focus on U‑space Light: simplified rules for low‑density zones  to accelerate integration of BVLOS drones and eVTOL operations.

 

 

 

Commercial Space & New Global Competition

 

The Space Pavilion underscored that space capabilities are now central to European industrial sovereignty.

 

At the core of discussions at ESA and European Commission level: in‑orbit servicing, refuelling, space debris mitigation and future off‑Earth manufacturing.

 

Stand‑outs:

✅ Progress in microgravity additive manufacturing  including the ESA‑Airbus metal 3D printer already installed on the ISS, a key enabler for lunar and Mars missions.

✅ Updates on Ariane 6, Vega‑C, IRIS² and Galileo, plus commercial perspectives for orbital logistics and servicing.

 

China’s presence focused largely on supply‑chain segments: advanced materials, batteries, thermal systems and sensors for UAV/eVTOL sectors  without COMAC aircraft display.

 

 

 

Conclusion: A Turning‑Point for European Sovereignty

 

ILA Berlin 2026 closes with a clear dual picture:

✅ Strengths: Europe continues to lead in sustainability, aerospace research, high‑value components and space innovation.

⚠️ Challenges: Large‑scale defence programmes show how difficult it still is to translate technological excellence into truly shared industrial and military strategy.

 

The rise of Team Gen 6 alongside France’s independent path marks a new chapter. From now on  building credible industrial alliances will be as decisive as developing the technologies themselves.

 

More than just an exhibition, ILA Berlin 2026 acts as a watershed moment. The real challenge ahead: not only inventing new systems, but designing cooperation models strong enough to take them from drawing‑board to operational, industrial and commercial maturity.

 

In this light, Berlin 2026 may be remembered less for what was shown inside the halls  and more for the strategic choices Europe will make afterwards.