Evolution Not Revolution As Our Event Moves With The Times

A great last day at Global Defence Helicopter 2024, and an end that also marks a beginning.

From next year our event becomes known as Global Defence Aviation as we reflect today’s industry, military and battlefield realities, and the proliferation of uncrewed systems and autonomous and semi-autonomous platforms.

Yet anyone attending Day Three of GDH 2024 would have been left in no doubt of the fundamental role that crewed helicopters play and will continue to play in today’s conflicts and on tomorrow’s battlefields too.

Our day began with a breakfast seminar open to all where we both explained the rationale behind our event’s evolution, and canvassed opinion from those present as to which aspects and challenges of this rapidly changing environment will be most useful and interesting to address going forward.

It was a fascinating and multifaceted discussion that will help inform and shape the debate at GDA 2025, an event which we’re pleased to report is already looking like an extremely hot ticket!

In today’s packed plenary session we kicked off with a fascinating presentation — and then panel discussion — about the legacy and evolution of the Black Hawk helicopter. It took in present and future capabilities of both this stalwart platform and rotary-wing aircraft more generally.

What followed was an equally stimulating series of presentations on subjects as diverse as sustaining the Spanish NH90 fleet; next-generation avionics; the operational challenges facing current helicopter fleets; pilot training on increasingly complex platforms; the latest developments in lightweight armour; and much, much more.

We hope everyone who attended enjoyed their time at GDH 2024 and found it rewarding, interesting, and above all, useful. We look forward to welcoming both you and newcomers to Warsaw again next year for Global Defence Aviation 2025!