The Israeli delegation in June to the Paris Air Present, the world’s most prestigious protection exhibition, shall be scaled down. Ministry of Protection Worldwide Protection Cooperation Directorate (SIBAT) head Yair Kulas tells “Globes.” Subsequent month Kulas will lead an particularly giant Israeli delegation to the DEFEA 2025 exhibition in Athens on Could 6.
Israel has been focused by France’s President Emmanuel Macron, who throughout the conflict has led a coverage of utilizing protection exhibitions in his nation to attain political and regional objectives within the Center East.
Macron’s marketing campaign to thwart Israeli protection firms started on the Eurosatory exhibition in June final yr, the place he determined to exclude Israeli companies as a result of begin of navy maneuvers in Rafah. The Israeli firms 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 firms away from the Euronaval naval exhibition, however on this case the ruling got here on time and the businesses have been in a position to exhibit.
“The present state of affairs with France is that we’ve got registered for the Paris Air Present,” says Kulas. “Proper now we’ll exhibit in a extra diminished format than previously as a result of it takes a very long time to arrange, and there have been issues on either side. In the long run, it’s public cash and we went with a diminished format, but it surely was essential for us and the protection industries to be there. That is the most important exhibition on this planet, and we’re not giving it up.”
“Selecting exhibitions fastidiously”
The main protection exhibition in Greece, DEFEA (Protection Exhibition Athens), shall be held for 3 days from Could 6. At this exhibition, which shall be attended by representatives of native and worldwide protection industries, governments, the navy, and safety specialists, 25 Israeli firms shall be exhibiting alongside counterparts from international locations resembling Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, the US, South Korea, France, and Germany. In distinction, the absence of Turkish firms 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 number of exhibitions on this planet, 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.”
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The deep safety connection between Jerusalem and Athens is mirrored, amongst different issues, within the negotiations which were underway in current months for the sale of Israeli air protection methods to Greece, in a deal price an estimated $2 billion.
The Israeli firms that may exhibit in Athens embrace the three largest, Elbit Programs, Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael, which have shut relationships with the Greek safety forces. Different outstanding Israeli firms that may seem embrace drone producer Aeronautics; loitering munitions producer UVision; and SmartShooter, which develops and manufactures superior fireplace management methods.
What’s going to the Israeli delegation in Greece exhibit?
9 Israeli firms will exhibit the CIBAT pavilion, together with: Manta Air, which can current superior restoration methods for drones that allow the environment friendly restoration of invaluable plane in a wide range of operational eventualities; Robotican, which can display the Goshawk modern 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 methods that may attain altitudes of as much as 20,000 ft.
Kulas explains that at exhibitions firms search for locations that additionally enable for conferences not solely with locals. “Whenever you come to an exhibition like this, you will have the chance to speak to finish customers. The concept is to benefit from establishing the Israeli pavilion for conferences with world figures, to take a seat down with protection ministries, to know what’s fascinating and to direct them in direction of our business.”
Do exhibitions nonetheless have an impact within the fashionable 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 widespread, 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 are usually 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.”
Printed by Globes, Israel enterprise information – en.globes.co.il – on April 24, 2025.
© Copyright of Globes Writer Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2025.
