At the opening of ILA 2026, running in Berlin through June 14, Leonardo's new AW-249 attack helicopter made its first public flying display at an international airshow, taking part in the event's flying program.

The AW-249 is the only next-generation attack helicopter designed from scratch in the West - a distinction Leonardo consistently emphasizes, both to differentiate the platform from Boeing's AH-64E APACHE and to position the AW-249 as natively conceived for Multi Domain Operations (MDO) and Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T).

The Berlin debut also carries clear commercial weight for Leonardo, directed squarely at a German audience. The Bundeswehr has opted to replace its TIGER fleet with Airbus Helicopters' armed H-145M, but the capability gap that decision creates leaves open, at least on paper, room for a potential future reassessment.

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