25 - 27 February, 2025 I Novotel London West, London, United Kingdom
DAY THREE | THURSDAY 27 FEBRUARY 2025
8:00 - 8:55
REGISTRATION AND REFRESHMENTS
TRACK 1: INDUSTRY MORNING – All Attendees Welcome
Chaired By: Major General (Retd) James Illingworth OBE, Former Deputy Commander Joint Helicopter Command
Participants are invited to take place in the International Military Helicopter 2025 ‘Industry Morning’, designed to maximise opportunities for engagement across the entire rotary supply chain, as well as foster collaboration with key military stakeholders. Take the opportunity to share and hear visions and direction for rotary capabilities up to 2040 and beyond with as many potential partners across Industry as possible, and understand how industry can work together to help with the thinking, planning, and development of next-generation rotary requirements and capabilities.
8:55 - 9:00
CHAIRMAN’S OPENING REMARKS
Major General (Retd) James Illingworth OBE -
Former Director Land Warfare & Former Deputy Commander Joint Helicopter Command,
IMH 2025 Conference Chairman
Major General (Retd) James Illingworth OBE
Former Director Land Warfare & Former Deputy Commander Joint Helicopter CommandIMH 2025 Conference Chairman
9:00 - 10:00
INTERACTIVE ROUNDTABLES: JOIN TECHNICAL OEM EXPERTS TO DISCUSS CURRENT AND FUTURE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS FOR ADVANCED ROTARY CAPABILITIES
TABLE 1: SUPPORTING UNCREWED CAPABILITIES - Led by Airbus
TABLE 2: PROVIDING EFFECTIVE MRO SUPPORT - Led by NHIndustries
TABLE 3: CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES IN ALE & DRONE MULES - Led by Leonardo
TABLE 4: SENSOR INTEGRATION - Led by Hensoldt
TABLE 5: ADVANCED AVIONICS, COMMUNICATIONS & CONNECTIVITY
10:00 - 10:30
ROUNDTABLE FEEDBACK DISCUSSION: INDUSTRY SUPPORT AND COLLABORATION TO MEET FUTURE ROTARY REQUIREMENTS
· How much of a priority is maximising availability to meet current threats, compared to long-term next-generation platforms to meet future operational environments?
· How can militaries work collaboratively with industry to maximise the support available for maintenance, repair and overhaul?
· How can industry realistically keep up with the current demand for rotary platforms, and how can they adjust to meet the demand for maximum capability at a competitive cost and in the shortest amount of time?
TRACK 2: MEETING REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPLEX SAR OPERATIONS
Chaired By: Rear Admiral (Ret.) Matt Briers, Former Director Carrier Strike, UK Ministry of Defence
8:55 - 9:00
CHAIRMAN’S OPENING REMARKS
Rear Admiral (Rtd) Matt Briers CBE -
Former Director Carrier Strike, UK MoD,
IMH 2025 Conference Co-Chair
Rear Admiral (Rtd) Matt Briers CBE
Former Director Carrier Strike, UK MoDIMH 2025 Conference Co-Chair
9:00 - 9:30
FROM THE DESERT TO THE HIGH NORTH NATO’S NEWEST ALLY
Colonel Mats-Uno Runeson -
Deputy Wing Commander, Helicopter Wing,
Swedish Armed Forces
• National change in operational concept
• Nordic cooperation in the High North
• ASW in the Baltic Sea
• Training and development
9:30 - 10:00
TRANSFORMING AIRBORNE SAR MISSIONS WITH NEW TECHNOLOGIES
Major Jorge Liquito -
AW119 Fleet Manager,
Portuguese Air Force
· Utilising modern technology in today’s SAR missions, taking lessons observed from Ukraine into consideration for future assets
· Innovations in unmanned aircraft to support SAR operations
· Training requirements to maximise effectiveness of future SAR missions
10:00 - 10:30
ROTARY AVIATION PRIORITIES ACROSS DEFENCE: GERMAN NAVAL AVIATION PERSPECTIVE
Commander Sebastian Schimera -
Deputy Head of Planning Department, DEU Naval Air Command,
German Navy
· Challenges of transitioning from Sea Lynx Mk88a to NH90 Sea Tiger
· First experiences and lessons identified from NH90 Sea Lion operations
· Challenges & anticipated limitations of MDO operations
Commander Sebastian Schimera
Deputy Head of Planning Department, DEU Naval Air CommandGerman Navy
10:30 - 11:00
MORNING COFFEE AND NETWORKING BREAK
TRACK 1: DEVELOPMENTS IN AVIONICS, CONNECTIVITY & COMMUNICATIONS TO MAXIMISE MISSION EFFECTIVENESS
Chaired By: Major General (Retd) James Illingworth OBE, Former Deputy Commander Joint Helicopter Command
11:00 - 11:30
MAXIMISING FLEET EFFICIENCY & MEETING NEW CHALLENGES WITH ADVANCED AVIONICS
Lieutenant Colonel Ville Siiropää -
Technical Director, Army Aviation,
Finnish Army
· Gain insight into how upgraded communications and flight management capabilities have been upgraded to enable special aircraft operations, and increase all round performance
· Future upgrade requirements for the MD 500, and maximising efficiency by making the most of a small fleet of 20 NH90s
· Optimising crews for advanced operations with enhanced communication systems
11:30 - 12:00
ITALIAN AIR FORCE NEED FOR NEXT GENERATION HELICOPTER TECHNOLOGY
Brigadier General Diego Sismondini -
Deputy Commander, 1st Aviation Brigade for Special Operations,
Italian Air Force
· High speed, long range, and high manoeuvrability requirements to defend from SAMs
· Limitations of current operational fleet, and challenges for Special Operation missions
· Prioritising maximising availability over maintaining existing fleets
Brigadier General Diego Sismondini
Deputy Commander, 1st Aviation Brigade for Special OperationsItalian Air Force
TRACK 2: INCREASING ROTARY WING PERFORMANCE WITH NEW TECHNOLOGIES & COMPONENTS
Chaired By: Rear Admiral (Ret.) Matt Briers CBE, Former Director Carrier Strike, UK Ministry of Defence
11:00 - 11:30
HELICOPTER PILOT TRAINING CHALLENGES IN THE CROATIAN AIR FORCE: CONCEPT AND EXPERIENCES
Colonel Krešimir Ražov -
Commander, 93rd Wing,
Croatian Air Force
11:30 - 12:00
RESERVED FOR INDUSTRY INSIGHTS FROM RTX
ADVANCING INTEROPERABILITY BETWEEN PLATFORMS & ALLIES
12:00 - 13:00
LUNCH AND NETWORKING BREAK
13:00 - 13:30
REALISING MATX: OPPORTUNITY AND CHALLENGE
Commodore Steve Bolton -
Deputy Director Aviation Programmes and Futures,
Royal Navy
13:30 - 14:10
PANEL DISCUSSION: ADOPTING A MODULAR OPEN SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE APPROACH TO OPTIMISE SYSTEM INTEGRATION
Major General (Retd) James Illingworth OBE -
Former Director Land Warfare & Former Deputy Commander Joint Helicopter Command,
IMH 2025 Conference Chairman
Brigadier General David Phillips - Program Executive Officer, PEO Aviation
David Alfano - Head of Next Generation Rotorcraft System, Airbus Helicopters
· How are militaries prioritising MOSA as a core part of acquiring systems and fleet management to better support the warfighter in the future?
· Gain insight into how MOSA eases cost, streamlines implementation and interchangeability, and improves interoperability
· How can procurement heads simplify the acquisition of complex systems to adapt to cutting-edge capabilities?
Major General (Retd) James Illingworth OBE
Former Director Land Warfare & Former Deputy Commander Joint Helicopter CommandIMH 2025 Conference Chairman
14:10 - 14:40
PAKISTAN ARMY AVIATION CAPABILITIES AND FUTURE NEEDS
Major General Muhammad Saeed Anwar Khan -
General Officer,
Pakistan Army Aviation
14:40 - 15:10
AFTERNOON TEA BREAK & VIP EXHIBITION TOURS
FUTURE OF ROTARY AVIATION ACROSS DEFENCE FORCES
15:10 - 15:50
PANEL DISCUSSION: MAXIMISING ROTORCRAFT EFFECTIVENESS IN MULTI-DOMAIN OPERATIONS
Rear Admiral (Rtd) Matt Briers CBE -
Former Director Carrier Strike, UK MoD,
IMH 2025 Conference Co-Chair
Commander Alex Haupt - Incoming Commanding Officer, Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron, US Navy
Commander Sebastian Schimera - Deputy Head of Planning Department, DEU Naval Air Command, German Navy
Major Bart Prins - Staff Officer Attack Helicopter Aviation, Royal Netherlands Air Force
· Enhancing communication and data-sharing during complex missions to optimise effectiveness and ensure cross domain interoperability
· With worldwide interest for multi-use helicopters, what capabilities should Armed Forces prioritise given current security challenges and evolving threats?
· What capabilities are required for enduring fleets to be operationally effective in MDO environments?
· How are nations fostering better coordination and collaboration through multinational helicopter exercises, and how does this aid in preparing for multi-domain operations?
· How are militaries planning to optimise battlespace management when operating in MDO environments?
Rear Admiral (Rtd) Matt Briers CBE
Former Director Carrier Strike, UK MoDIMH 2025 Conference Co-Chair
Commander Alex Haupt
Incoming Commanding Officer, Helicopter Maritime Strike SquadronUS Navy
Commander Sebastian Schimera
Deputy Head of Planning Department, DEU Naval Air CommandGerman Navy
15:50 - 16:20
STRENGTHENING OPERATIONAL CAPABILITIES TO RESPOND TO NEW THREATS
Major Bart Prins -
Staff Officer Attack Helicopter Aviation,
Royal Netherlands Air Force
· Importance of strengthening defence capacities with the acquisition of NH90 helicopters
· Requirements to enhance rotary wing capabilities to operate in multiple environments
· New technologies required to support pilots with complex missions, and challenges of integrating new systems
16:20 - 16:30
CHAIRMAN’S CLOSING REMARKS & CONFERENCE SUMMARY
Major General (Retd) James Illingworth OBE -
Former Director Land Warfare & Former Deputy Commander Joint Helicopter Command,
IMH 2025 Conference Chairman
Major General (Retd) James Illingworth OBE
Former Director Land Warfare & Former Deputy Commander Joint Helicopter CommandIMH 2025 Conference Chairman
