PARIS — The US will be the largest foreign exhibitor at the upcoming Eurosatory, with 136 American companies booked into the trade show for land weapons and air-land systems, said Patrick Colas des Francs, chief executive of show organizer Coges.
Those US bookings slipped from 141 firms in the previous 2014 exhibition, Coges figures show.
Germany and Britain are respectively second and third largest foreign exhibitors with 110 and 76, Colas de Francs told journalists. Those are down from respectively 120 and 105.
The number of UK companies at the June 13-17 event "could be higher," he said, adding that British firms preferred DSEI, the defense and security exhibition in London, which has failed to attract many French firms.
The US Army will send over a UH-60 Black Hawk transport and an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter for static display, a US officer said. Frank Kendall, US undersecretary of state for defense acquisition, technology and logistics, will be the senior official visiting the show.
France dominates, with some 529 French firms compared to 1,007 foreign companies, giving a total 1,536 booked to date.
Some 250 vehicles and other equipment, including helicopters, will be on display. Airbus Helicopter will be at the show, although the parent Airbus group has opted to stay away.
Security for the show will be tighter that in previous years, reflecting an extended state of emergency adopted after the Nov. 13 attacks which killed 130 people in Paris. The trade show coincides with Euro 2016, one of the biggest soccer tournaments worldwide and for which the government has assured there will be high security.
Colombia, with three firms, will attend the show for the first time, said Stefano Chmielewski, chairman of Groupement des Industries Françaises de Défense Terrestre et Aéroterrestre (GICAT) and its subsidiary, Coges. That boosts a Latin American presence, alongside Argentina and Brazil.
Some 17 Brazilian companies, a record number, have booked into the show, the Brazilian defense and security industry association said.
Iceland has pulled out, bringing down the number of nations to 56 from 57 in 2014, Colas des Francs said. Some countries left bookings to the last minute, so another one or two could ask for space.
Some 12 Russian firms, down from 26, have booked, and France continues to withhold an invitation for an official delegation, reflecting the chill in relations since the armed conflict in Ukraine.
A stronger Asian presence is expected. Japan is sending a delegation for the second time. There are two fewer companies compared to 2014 but these have booked more floor space. There is more interest from South Korea, with 27 companies, up from 11.
Some 36 Chinese firms will be at the show. Western nations imposed an arms embargo since China dispersed a 1989 pro-democracy demonstration in Tienanmen square, which led to the loss of protesters' lives.
A Vietnamese delegation is expected.
The French Army will highlight its Scorpion modernization program. The service will be on display next to the defense ministry, which with the Direction Générale de l'Armement procurement office seeks to promote exports with the "combat proven" badge on the equipment on exhibition.
Coges executives visited 38 trade shows to track technological progress around the world. The technology trend includes greater demand for highly specified rather than off-the-shelf equipment, a collective industrial teamwork with 3-D simulation in designing systems, and a move to low-cost manufacturing.
Drones, cyberdefense and cybersecurity are among the key themes.
GICAT seeks to help small, medium and intermediate companies pursue foreign deals by arranging bookings in overseas shows in Abidjan, Bogota and Singapore next year.
"This is not a tourist trip but a business drive," Chmielewski said.
