This year’s Paris Air Show has seen combat aircraft take a secondary role. Instead, unmanned and autonomous technology is leading the way in defense and stealing the spotlight at Le Bourget airport near Paris.
Featuring 2,400 exhibitors hailing from 48 nations and anticipating around 300,000 attendees, the globe’s largest aviation exhibition commenced amid heightened worldwide geopolitical strains.
As Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine reaches its third anniversary, and hostilities rise between Israel and Iran, it has become crucial for Europe to upgrade its defense capacities.
On Monday, Leonardo from Italy and Turkey’s Baykar Technologies declared their partnership to jointly develop advanced unmanned systems. The initial batch of these drones is anticipated to be supplied by 2026.
"When it comes to unmanned systems, Europe lags significantly," stated Leonardo CEO Roberto Cingolani.
"Primarily, I believe our objective is to bridge this gap. We should create various platforms equipped with distinct payloads and present these options to multiple nations. This would serve as a crucial aim for us in the near to medium term," clarified Cingolani to an audience of journalists.
Cingolani emphasized that Europe will shortly require not only drones but also systems based on land and sea. "The Ukrainian conflict has entirely altered the situation," he stated. "We understand that preparedness is essential."
According to defence consultant Xavier Tytelman, the pivotal moment for this iteration of the fair is the industrialization of intense warfare.
"Previously, we stated ‘We will produce drones.’ Today, we are indeed providing drones at clear price points, indicating a significant shift towards militarization within our industry,” he explained to Euronews.
Europe's past delay in developing large drone platforms might not be significant anymore. Smaller, nimble systems that are less expensive to manufacture and simpler to deploy are now showing their importance on the battleground.
Apart from strategy and scale, sovereignty has emerged as a key topic during this year's edition.
The drive to create "ITAR-free" products (Regulations on International Trade in Arms) Equipment — free from U.S. export restrictions — can be seen throughout the exhibition space.
There’s one key aspect here: the restoration of sovereignty. This is evident throughout as numerous stalls display 'ITAR Free' signs,” he noted. “This indicates that these systems lack American components, preventing the U.S. from blocking their usage—unlike what happened in Ukraine when our missiles were rendered unusable due to containing U.S.-made parts.
Currently, we see Europeans coming together to enhance their sovereignty and independence. They are collaborating and leveraging each other’s technological strengths with the aim of achieving complete European industrialization. This represents yet another significant and fundamental shift.