Last year’s edition of Tag der Bundeswehr, the annual open day of the German Armed Forces, took place on 28 June 2025 at ten different military facilities across the country. As tradition dictates, the event involved all branches of the Bundeswehr, including its modern establishments such as Wehrtechnische Dienststelle für Informationstechnologie und Elektronik WTD 81 (Technical Centre for Information Technology and Electronics).
Aviation enthusiasts had the opportunity to visit two air bases: Fliegerhorst Schleswig/Jagel (Schleswig/Jagel Air Base) in Schleswig-Holstein and Internationales Hubschrauberausbildungszentrum (the International Helicopter Training Centre) of the German Armed Forces in Bückeburg, Lower Saxony. In addition, aircraft displays and flypasts were held at several other military sites across the country.
The International Helicopter Training Centre in Bückeburg hosted the open day after a one-year break. The 2023 edition of the event was a resounding success, with more than 110,000 people attending. This came as no surprise, as it was the first nationwide public event organised by the Bundeswehr after a long interruption, initially caused by coronavirus restrictions and subsequently by the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
This year, the Bückeburg training centre was visited by more than 70,000 guests. They enjoyed a comprehensive presentation of the German Armed Forces, as well as a static display of various military equipment and two blocks of dynamic demonstrations. In addition, visitors had the opportunity to explore a wide range of stands organised by military-related organisations, aviation museums, emergency services and historical associations.
The static display area featured a wide range of heavy equipment used by Bundeswehr, including the Leopard 2A6 main battle tank, the Schützenpanzer Puma infantry fighting vehicle, the HX81 SaZgM 70t (Elefant 2) heavy tractor-trailer and the Mowag Eagle IV BAT wheeled armoured vehicle.
Exhibition of the German Special Operations Forces was among the ones that attracted particular attention from visitors. Throughout the day, a long queue of curious spectators formed at the entrance to the SOF hangar.
The Bundeswehr Career Centre with its talent identification facility was equally attractive. It aroused particular interest among younger visitors, who were able to learn about potential future careers in the armed forces and test their skills using various training devices and simulators.
The aviation section of the static exhibition featured a wide range of Bundeswehr combat and training rotorcraft. Among them, there were several variants of the NHIndustries NH90 multi-role helicopter, the Eurocopter EC665 Tiger attack rotorcraft, and a variety of Eurocopter/Airbus H135 and H145 helicopters — including the H145M LUH SOF special operations variant and the H145M LKH (Leichter Kampfhubschrauber / Light Combat Helicopter), the newest addition to the Bundeswehr fleet, intended to replace the EC665 Tiger (for more information about the planned retirement of the Tiger, please refer to our article from February 2024 – Earlier retirement of the German EC665 Tiger fleet).
The German Air Force showcased a triad of its best-known aircraft: the Eurofighter EF2000 fighter jet, the Panavia Tornado IDS strike aircraft and the Airbus A400M Atlas tactical airlifter.
The two British Airbus H135 Juno HT1 (EC135T-3H) training helicopters, operated by No. 1 Flying Training School of the Royal Air Force, were the only examples of foreign military equipment exhibited in Bückeburg in 2025.
Alongside the modern military aircraft, an interesting set of historical helicopters and aeroplanes was showcased in the area, including the Aérospatiale AS 313B Alouette II, the Bell (Dornier) UH-1D Iroquois, the Sikorsky CH-53G Sea Stallion and the Dornier Do 27A-4. Several historical vehicles formerly used by the German land forces could also be found on display in Bückeburg, such as the Volkswagen Type 181 convertible, the Flugabwehrkanonenpanzer Gepard B2 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun and the Leopard 1A5 main battle tank.
Particularly noteworthy was the exhibition arranged by Ausbildungswerkstatt (the Training Workshop) of the International Helicopter Training Centre. It allowed visitors to familiarise themselves with aircraft construction and maintenance, try out some of the tools used for maintenance and enjoy a set of interactive displays. The training centre also showcased an interesting collection of historical aircraft currently being used during the training courses.
The exhibition included the North American Rockwell OV-10B(Z) Bronco, the Sikorsky H-34G, the Fiat G.91R/3, the Piaggio P.149 (Focke-Wulf FWP.149D), the Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet A, the Sud-Est SE.3130 Alouette II and the Bölkow Bo 105. Visitors had the opportunity to sit in the cockpit of the Alpha Jet, learn about helicopter construction using the H-34G as an example, and observe a landing gear retraction demonstration on the Bronco.
Adjacent to Ausbildungswerkstatt, visitors to Tag der Bundeswehr 2025 could find the Aero Commander 500B twin-engine aircraft. This former instructional airframe was used for an engaging project under which everyone could place their signature on the aeroplane. Within a short time, the Commander fuselage was covered in names, drawings and a variety of slogans.
The Piper PA-42 Cheyenne IIIA concludes the list of aircraft available on static display in Bückeburg. The exhibited aircraft belonged to the aforementioned training workshop of the International Helicopter Training Centre. Since 2022, two examples of the PA-42 have been used in the air base for training aircraft mechanics and avionics technicians.
Obviously, the displays described above represented only part of the attractions available at Internationales Hubschrauberausbildungszentrum during the 2025 edition of the open day. Visitors also had the opportunity to learn about Kampfmittelbeseitigung (explosive ordnance disposal units), responsible for locating and clearing unexploded ordnance from the Second World War, examine the equipment and become familiar with Technisches Hilfswerk (the Federal Agency for Technical Relief), as well as visit the stands arranged by medical services, fire brigade and many other organisations.
As usual, the 2025 edition of Tag der Bundeswehr featured two blocks of dynamic displays. The main part of the show was based on an anti-terrorist scenario involving several combat rotorcraft and an assault operation conducted by a German SOF unit. In addition, solo flying displays were performed by the EC665 Tiger, the CH-53G, the NH90 TTH, the EC135T3 and the H145M LUH SAR helicopters.
The Luftwaffe contributed to the flying display programme with an eye-catching performance by two Tornado jets, as well as an impressive formation flypast by three A400M airlifters, concluded with a spectacular break.
Particularly noteworthy was the flypast of a Lockheed P-3C Orion operated by Marineflieger (German Naval Aviation), which was one of the final public appearances of this aircraft type prior to its retirement from German service.
The visitors to the Bückeburg Air Base could also enjoy a parachute drop by a SOF unit and a formation flypast of all the aforementioned types of rotorcraft, which officially concluded the 2025 edition of Tag der Bundeswehr at the International Helicopter Training Centre.
More images from Tag der Bundeswehr 2025 in Bückeburg:
