Israel to scale down Paris Air Show presence

The Israeli delegation in June to the Paris Air Present, the world’s most prestigious protection exhibition, might be scaled down. Ministry of Protection Worldwide Protection Cooperation Directorate (SIBAT) head Yair Kulas tells “Globes.” Subsequent month Kulas will lead an particularly massive Israeli delegation to the DEFEA 2025 exhibition in Athens on Could 6.

Israel has been focused by France’s President Emmanuel Macron, who in the course of the warfare has led a coverage of utilizing protection exhibitions in his nation to realize political and regional targets within the Center East.

Macron’s marketing campaign to thwart Israeli protection corporations started on the Eurosatory exhibition in June final 12 months, the place he determined to exclude Israeli corporations because of the begin of army maneuvers in Rafah. The Israeli corporations appealed to the French courtroom, which overturned the choice, however the ruling got here too late for them to exhibit. 5 months later, Paris determined to maintain Israeli corporations away from the Euronaval naval exhibition, however on this case the ruling got here on time and the businesses had been capable of exhibit.

“The present state of affairs with France is that we’ve got registered for the Paris Air Present,” says Kulas. “Proper now we are going to exhibit in a extra decreased format than up to now as a result of it takes a very long time to organize, and there have been issues on each side. In the long run, it’s public cash and we went with a decreased format, but it surely was essential for us and the protection industries to be there. That is the biggest exhibition on the earth, and we aren’t giving it up.”

“Selecting exhibitions fastidiously”

The main protection exhibition in Greece, DEFEA (Protection Exhibition Athens), might be held for 3 days from Could 6. At this exhibition, which might be attended by representatives of native and worldwide protection industries, governments, the army, and safety consultants, 25 Israeli corporations might be exhibiting alongside counterparts from nations equivalent to Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, the US, South Korea, France, and Germany. In distinction, the absence of Turkish corporations that usually exhibit internationally makes it clear to what extent Erdogan’s hostility not solely towards Israel but additionally towards Greece is mirrored within the protection exhibitions.

Kulas says, “There are a whole lot of exhibitions on the earth, and we select them very fastidiously. We’re searching for a connection to that protection ministry, and there’s a nice reference to the Greek protection ministry, military to military, ministry to ministry, and CIBAT with its counterparts. The 2 sides have a long-standing relationship of belief.”

The deep safety connection between Jerusalem and Athens is mirrored, amongst different issues, within the negotiations which were underway in latest months for the sale of Israeli air protection techniques to Greece, in a deal value an estimated $2 billion.

The Israeli corporations that may exhibit in Athens embody the three largest, Elbit Programs, Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael, which have shut relationships with the Greek safety forces. Different distinguished Israeli corporations that may seem embody drone producer Aeronautics; loitering munitions producer UVision; and SmartShooter, which develops and manufactures superior hearth management techniques.

What is going to the Israeli delegation in Greece exhibit?

9 Israeli corporations will exhibit the CIBAT pavilion, together with: Manta Air, which can current superior restoration techniques for drones that allow the environment friendly restoration of helpful plane in a wide range of operational situations; Robotican, which can show the Goshawk progressive autonomous drone interceptor for neutralizing aerial threats, and the Rooster hybrid drone for navigation in confined areas and intelligence gathering; and RT LTA Programs, which can exhibit the Skystar collection of tactical aerostats, able to carrying a wide range of sensors to altitudes of as much as 500 meters, and the superior Skyguard techniques that may attain altitudes of as much as 20,000 ft.

Kulas explains that at exhibitions corporations search for locations that additionally permit for conferences not solely with locals. “Whenever you come to an exhibition like this, you may have the chance to speak to finish customers. The concept is to benefit from establishing the Israeli pavilion for conferences with world figures, to sit down down with protection ministries, to grasp what’s attention-grabbing and to direct them in direction of our business.”

Do exhibitions nonetheless have an impact within the trendy period? Aren’t video conferences sufficient?

“There’s a distinction between a video assembly and an organized assembly, which is typically casual. Though occasional shoppers are much less frequent, a state of affairs can occur, for instance, the place a Vietnamese particular person comes and needs a gathering. You did not plan it, however he’s so that you direct him. These exhibitions should not random. It’s a meticulous technique of establishing conferences, some with different industries, some are for connections and a few are for sustaining ongoing contact. You keep contact by way of the exhibitions, and it really works wonders.”

Revealed by Globes, Israel enterprise information – en.globes.co.il – on April 24, 2025.

© Copyright of Globes Writer Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2025.