Paris Air Show: New Aerospace Technologies, Updates and Research

June 26, 2025

Did you miss the product launches, partnership agreements and other updates at the 2025 Paris Air Show? Check out this recap of some of the technology highlights from the event.

A European variant of Anduril's low-cost autonomous air vehicle — the Barracuda, pictured here — will be integrated into Rheinmetall's digital sovereignty framework. (Image: Anduril Industries)

Anduril, Rheinmetall to Co-Develop Autonomous Systems in Europe

Anduril Industries and Rheinmetall announced a new partnership to co-develop a "suite of software-defined autonomous systems to extend the availability of autonomous mission systems."

The agreement will leverage Anduril's "hyperscale" approach to manufacturing , and builds on earlier collaboration between the two companies, including the development of a layer counter drone solution and a joint pursuit of the U.S. Army’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV) program. Under the new partnership, the two companies will focus on the following goals outlined in their announcement:

The integration of a European variant of Anduril´s Barracuda as part of Anduril’s family of low-cost, mass-producible autonomous air vehicles into Rheinmetall´s digital sovereignty framework (“Battlesuite”).
The inclusion of a European variant of Anduril´s Fury, a high-performance, multi-mission group 5 autonomous air vehicle (AAV), into Rheinmetall´s digital sovereignty framework (“Battlesuite”).
The exploration of opportunities for solid rocket motors for European use leveraging Anduril’s new production approaches.

“This is a different model of defense collaboration, one built on shared production, operational relevance, and mutual respect for sovereignty,” said Brian Schimpf, CEO of Anduril Industries. “Together with Rheinmetall, we’re building systems that can be produced quickly, deployed widely, and adapted as NATO missions evolve.”

Spain's New Airbus Drone to Start Ground Testing

Airbus will begin ground testing of the new SIRTAP drone, pictured here, later this year. (Image: Airbus)

Airbus Defense and Space has completed final assembly of the first SIRTAP prototype — a tactical drone developed for the Spanish Armed Forces — and is ready to transition to ground testing at its facilities in Getafe, Spain.

The Spanish Ministry of Defense first signed an agreement to purchase SIRTAP in November 2023, in an effort to reinforce the tactical capabilities of its Army, Air and Space Forces. SIRTAP has a payload of more than 150 kgs, a range of 2,000 km and an endurance of 20 hours. The drone has been designed for advanced surveillance, intelligence and reconnaissance missions, both over land and at sea.

Airbus expects to begin ground testing SIRTAP with structural evaluations, main-systems components, and software testing at Spain’s National Institute of Aerospace Technology's (INTA’s) Unmanned Systems Test Center (CEUS) by the end of 2025.

“This new technical achievement for SIRTAP demonstrates Airbus’ agility to drive technological innovation with our aerospace industry partners in a timely manner in accordance with our vision,” said Jean-Brice Dumont, Head of Air Power at Airbus Defense and Space.

First Autonomous Flight of a Leonardo AW139 Helicopter

Honeywell and Near Earth Autonomy partnered to help enable the first autonomous flight of an AW139 helicopter, pictured here. (Image: Honeywell Aerospace)

Honeywell Aerospace and Near Earth Autonomy completed the first autonomous test flight of a Leonardo AW139 helicopter, the latest milestone in the two companies' support of the U.S. Marine Corps Aerial Logistics Connector (ALC) program. The ALC program, a Naval Aviation Systems Consortium Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) lead by Near Earth Autonomy, aims to develop and deploy autonomous aerial logistics systems that could reduce risk to personnel.

According to Honeywell, during the flight, Near Earth's onboard autonomy software directly controlled "key autopilot modes of the AW139" without pilot input.

“This flight showcases Near Earth Autonomy’s leadership in developing trusted autonomy for real-world operations,” said Dr. Sanjiv Singh, CEO of Near Earth Autonomy. “By directly controlling the AW139’s flight modes with our autonomy system, we’ve shown that scalable autonomous logistics using existing platforms is not just possible — it’s happening now. This capability is essential for reducing risk to military personnel and ensuring resilient supply chains in the field.”

Future testing will expand the program's evaluation of the AW139's autonomous navigation capabilities, including automated obstacle avoidance, and integration into military logistics workflows.

Garmin G5000 PRIME Flight Deck for D328eco

Representatives from Garmin and Deutsche Aircraft confirmed the G5000 PRIME will be the flight deck featured in the cockpit of the D328eco aircraft. (Image: Deutsche Aircraft)

Deutsche Aircraft's D328eco aircraft will feature Garmin's new G5000 PRIME integrated avionics flight deck, the two companies announced during the Paris Air Show. D328eco is the 40-seater turboprop aircraft being developed for a variety of missions ranging from regional airline flights to maritime surveillance and search and rescue.

Garmin introduced the G5000 PRIME as a new integrated flight deck for Part 25 transport aircraft ahead of the Paris Air Show, emphasizing its focus on an expansive touchscreen interface, embedded open architecture and multiple performance enhancements including "quadruple the memory and gigabit system connectivity that is up to 100 times faster than previous generation flight decks."

“The G5000 PRIME offers a scalable, intuitive, and connected cockpit solution that provides Part 25 transport pilots increased functionality designed to simplify operations and maximize situational awareness,” said Carl Wolf, Vice President, Aviation Sales, Marketing, Programs and Support at Garmin. “We are excited to continue our relationship with Deutsche Aircraft and launch G5000 PRIME into the regional aircraft market on the advanced D328eco.”

Pratt & Whitney Tests 3D-Printed TJ150 Turbine Wheel

Pratt & Whitney has completed a series of tests on its 3D-printed TJ150 turbine wheel that the company says is one of the first rotating parts to be 3D-printed. (Image: Pratt & Whitney)

Pratt & Whitney has completed a series of tests on its 3D-printed TJ150 turbine wheel, one of the first rotating engine parts to be 3D-printed and tested by the jet engine maker. The TJ150 is a turbojet engine with 150-pounds of thrust, primarily designed to power a variety of autonomous systems and weapons.

"Today we're fielding and flying static engine parts. Rotating engine components, especially for expendable class applications, is the next step," said Chris Hugill, Executive Director of Pratt & Whitney GATORWORKS. "Our testing confirms we're on track with the engine performing at full operating speeds and temperatures and meeting expected life duration. This technology is transforming how we design, develop and deliver capabilities faster."

The re-design of the TJ150 was led by Pratt's "GATORWORKS" division. Using a process called "unionization," engineers decreased the engine's core module part count from over 50 to "just a handful." The GATORWORKS team was able to design and test the engine in eight months using in-house capabilities. The company believes that the test could be a significant milestone for moving from testing additively manufactured static structures to rotating hardware.

TE Connectivity's New MULTIGIG Transceiver

TE Connectivity’s new TRX platform. (Image: TE Connectivity)

TE Connectivity launched their new MULTIGIG Transceiver (TRX) platform, as a modular solution to provide aerospace design engineers more flexibility to configure the placement of fiber optic transceivers for optimal performance. One example where this type of modularity could be an advantage for designers provided by TE involves an in-flight entertainment system being upgraded with ARINC 818 or 4K video. The upgrade could be achieved using the new transceiver, including late-stage configuration and upgrades, without printed circuit board (PCB) changes, according to TE.

Spring-Energized Seals

Omniseal Solutions exhibited this spring-energized seal housed in a ball valve during the Paris Air Show this year. The company also published a new video that provides an overview of the role their sealing technologies and materials provide for aircraft and space vehicles operating in extreme environments.

Turbotech Leverages Simulation Tool to Advance Hydrogen Propulsion System

Turbotech, the French manufacturer of regenerative turbines, is leveraging Ansys simulation technology to design the first viable hydrogen-fueled turbine engine for small-scale passenger planes, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicles, drones, and more. In partnership with the BeautHyFuel project , Turbotech is the first company to successfully demonstrate a hydrogen-fueled turboprop engine, emphasizing the crucial role of Ansys simulation in advancing next-generation technology.

Exploratory turbine designs struggle to safely and reliably use hydrogen as a fuel, resulting in difficulty balancing power output, fuel consumption, heat, and combustion systems service life. Turbotech takes a scalable approach, using Ansys simulation to help design and validate a gas turbine that is fuel agnostic — supporting an easier, streamlined transition to hydrogen.

Lockheed Partners With Electra for EL9 Development

Lockheed Martin signed an agreement with Electra.aero Inc. during the Paris Air Show to accelerate the development of Electra's EL9 ultra short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft.

Under the agreement, Lockheed will focus on assisting Electra in digital engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, sustainment and global business development for the EL9 program. EL9 is being developed for both commercial and defense users, and is capable of taking off and landing in just 150 feet, and the ability to carry 1,000 lbs. over 1,000 miles, according to Electra.

“Lockheed Martin’s breadth of manufacturing, supply chain and military customer expertise is the perfect complement to Electra’s EL9 commercialization strategy,” said Marc Allen, CEO of Electra. “This relationship will accelerate our speed to market to bring the EL9’s transformative capabilities to our military customers.”

The agreement deepens the strategic relationship between Lockheed Martin and Electra. In 2022, Lockheed Martin Ventures signed a strategic cooperation agreement to invest in Electra’s Series A funding round.

UK Program to Develop Next Generation Composite Wing and Flap Structures

GKN Aerospace has launched the "ASPIRE" program, a new £12 million U.K. research program that will develop and demonstrate next generation composite wing and flap structures. The three-year program began in May, and includes a consortium that features Carbon ThreeSixty, iCOMAT, Lineat, Pentaxia and the University of Bath, Axillium, and co-funding from the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI).

The project will deliver three full-scale composite wingtip variants for structural testing to Ultimate Load, providing a unique opportunity to validate new technologies in highly relevant test conditions. Each wingtip variant will represent a different structural philosophy and technology set. Variant one is a bonded assembly with multiple parts, aligned with GKN Aerospace’s design approach. Variant two is a quasi-isotropic co-infused Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM) structure featuring automated deposition, forming, digital twin integration and Pentaxia’s self-heated tooling (JouleTool), representing the current state-of-the-art. Variant three, introduces non-standard fibre angles, low-energy dry fibre forming and SmaRTM processing.

Key innovations under evaluation include iCOMAT’s Rapid Tow Sheared (RTS) lightweight structure and Carbon ThreeSixty’s stitched deltoid noodles, made from recycled carbon fibres aligned through the Lineat AFFT process. These developments are supported by analytical and numerical methods developed by the University of Bath.

Alongside the wingtip demonstrators, ASPIRE will also develop an optimized composite flap. The flap demonstration will feature a pre-preg manufacturing approach with RTS skins (iCOMAT), tailored fibre placed brackets (Carbon Three Sixty), low-energy out-of-autoclave curing moulds and press-cured ribs. A key program milestone will be achieving technical readiness level 6 (TRL6) for the press-curing of composite ribs.

ESA, Leonardo Explore ML-Powered Antennas to Block Unwanted Signals

The European Space Agency (ESA) signed a new agreement with Italian aerospace and defense manufacturer Leonardo to jointly explore the development of smart antennas powered by machine learning (ML) that block unwanted signals. ESA is actively exploring innovative technologies to increase resilience of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) systems. ESA representatives signed a contract with Leonardo during the Paris Air Show to research and develop ML techniques to steer antenna arrays to block out unwanted signals.

The project will be developed under the umbrella of ESA’s Navigation Innovation Support Program (NAVISP). Under the contract, Leonardo together with ELT Group as subcontractor, will explore the reduction of the distance between the antenna elements to reduce the size and weight of the antenna array, and the use of ML to determine the best antenna setup and adjust the settings faster. This approach will lead to smaller, smarter and more effective antennas, especially useful in space-limited environments such as aircraft.

Conventional antennas catch signals from all directions. A Controlled Reception Pattern Antennas (CRPAs) antenna can focus on signals coming from specific satellites and ignore signals or interference coming from other directions. These types of antennas are used in satellite navigation receivers to block jamming and counterfeit signals. They rely on electronics that control how they adjust their patterns (a concept known as “beamforming”).

The project covers identification of the smarter algorithm for signal blocking, building and testing a real-time receiver demonstrator based on the selected algorithm, and comparing it to conventional larger antennas. The aim is to reach a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 4, delivering a lab-tested technology by the end of the project, in two years.

Simulation-led product development allowed Turbotech to quickly identify the two best nozzle designs for real-world testing — cutting prototyping costs and timelines. Specifically, Fluent delivered critical high-fidelity predictions of the flame shape and temperature, and after 30 hours of hydrogen burn the nozzles retained nearly identical structural integrity, and the turbine did not increase emissions output. Ansys solvers also enabled Turbotech to run these simulations on boosted workstations, avoiding the need for large clusters traditionally required for combustion modeling.

Hensoldt's New Mode 5 Cryptographic Module

Philippe Guibourg, President of Hensoldt France SAS, presenting the QRTK77. (Image: Hensoldt)

Hensoldt launched a new Mode 5 cryptographic computer, the QRTK77. The module complies with STANAG 4193 Ed. 3, to provide interoperability within NATO and its allies. The electrical and mechanical interfaces comply with DoD AIMS 04-900 option B.

Capable of storing the equivalent of three months of encryption keys, the QRTK77 features a standby mode that extends the platform's autonomy, and a battery designed to keep the time of the day (TOD) for up to 10 days.

Additionally, the QRTK77 incorporates a removable, external Crypto Ignition Key (CIK), making the system inoperable once removed and reinforcing the security and ease of use of the solution in theaters of operation. Hensoldt developed the new module to be compatible with a wide range of IFF subsystems, for a range of defense platforms to include naval vessels, combat aircraft, ground radar stations, and air defense systems.

Thales New Mini EW Payload for Drones

The new mini EW payload launched by Thales. (Image: Thales)

Thales unveiled a new remotely controlled electronic warfare (EW) payload weighing less than five pounds that is designed to detect and locate radio signals for small drones.

The module was developed following a proof-of-concept (PoC) competition awarded to Thales by France's Defense Innovation Agency (AID). During the PoC phase, multiple users successfully tested the module in a range of different use cases.