"A rocket appears ready to blast off at the opening of the Berlin Air Show on June 10, 2026. But it's just a model." (Breaking Defense)
Space day: models, a giant moon and German Space Agency projects
Organizers devoted the second day of the Berlin Air Show to space capabilities, illustrating a focus that ranged from display models to conceptual hardware. Breaking Defense photographed a model rocket staged as if ready for launch and a giant moon with orbiting satellites greeting attendees on June 11, 2026. The show's space emphasis also included exhibits tied to human support systems: attendees could view a model described as "a kind of creepy model sporting an AI-supported exoskeleton" developed as part of the NoGravEx and GraviMoko projects within the German Space Agency (Breaking Defense).
Unmanned systems: one-way attack drones, VTOLs and drone wingmen
The expo highlighted a broad array of unmanned systems. Uvision displayed variants of its Hero one-way attack drones on June 10, 2026, while Virginia-based FIXAR presented its FIXAR 025, described as a fully electric VTOL UAV on June 11, 2026 (Breaking Defense). General Atomics brought a drone wingman to the show on June 10, 2026, and attendees saw the MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone during a photo with Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger and Boeing Australia Managing Director Amy List (Breaking Defense). The German arm of Israeli defense giant Elbit also exhibited quadcopters (Breaking Defense).
Manned aircraft, engines and supporting systems on display
Traditional aviation hardware and the components that keep it flying were prominently visible. Visitors inspected the cockpit of a Eurofighter Typhoon and saw the engine that powers the Typhoon on display (Breaking Defense). A refueling tanker performed over the show, and Deutsche Aircraft's multi-role D328MR was presented on June 11, 2026 (Breaking Defense). Beyond airframes and engines, smaller suppliers were on hand: Glenair showed off various components "that do... something... to make larger systems and utilities work," according to Breaking Defense's caption (Breaking Defense).
Powerplants, concepts and industry pairings
Manufacturers used the venue to showcase future-facing systems alongside current platforms. Rolls Royce, identified as a British firm by Breaking Defense, showed a concept powerplant intended for collaborative combat aircraft on June 11, 2026 — a nod to the show’s attention to propulsion for next-generation fleets. The presence of corporate pairings also surfaced in photo opportunities: Rheinmetall's chief executive and Boeing Australia’s managing director posed together in front of the MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone, underscoring commercial linkages visible on the floor (Breaking Defense).
What this means for technologists, policymakers, and procurement leaders
- Technologists and security teams: note the variety of unmanned systems on display — one-way attack drones (Uvision Hero), electric VTOLs (FIXAR 025), and a General Atomics drone wingman — alongside projects that integrate AI and human-support hardware (NoGravEx and GraviMoko). Those specific exhibits indicate active development across air and near-space domains (Breaking Defense).
- Policymakers and regulators: the show’s dedicated space day, Rolls Royce’s powerplant concept for collaborative combat aircraft, and the visible interplay between industry players highlight areas where regulation, standards, and oversight could be focused as these capabilities progress (Breaking Defense).
- Procurement leaders and operators: tangible platforms — Deutsche Aircraft’s D328MR, Eurofighter Typhoon systems, refueling tankers, and a range of unmanned platforms including the MQ-28 Ghost Bat — were on offer, giving buyers direct points of comparison across traditional and emergent capabilities (Breaking Defense).
The Berlin Air Show’s Day 2 stitched together model rockets and lunar displays with concrete hardware: engines, tankers, manned platforms, and an expanding set of unmanned systems. Photographs from June 10–11, 2026 capture a market in parallel motion—eyes cast toward space while supply chains and demonstrators press advances in aircraft propulsion, autonomy, and human-assist systems (Breaking Defense).
