Israel to show fresh weapons at Paris Air Show

JERUSALEM — Israeli defense companies plan to exhibit new weaponry at the Paris Air Show next week amid a cooling of relations with France over the conduct of the Gaza war, according to the Israeli Ministry of Defense and local defense companies.

The highlight of the Israeli defense systems at the show is expected to be Rafael’s high-energy laser weapon system family: the Iron Beam 450mm, Iron Beam-M 250mm and the Lite Beam, defense officials said.

The Iron Beam suite is a defensive weapon against short-range rockets, missiles and drones. Its expected display in Paris comes after Israel’s recent announcement of successful drone interceptions by lasers during the ongoing Israel-Gaza war.

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will also showcase its aerial defense systems, focusing on the Arrow anti-ballistic missile and the Barak MX integrated air and missile defense systems.

The Arrow was developed with U.S. funding and in collaboration with the Boeing. The system operates two types of interceptors, the Arrow-2 and Arrow-3, and consists of a command-and-control system and fire control.

The Barak MX system is a modular, multi-mission active defense system of sea-to-air and surface-to-air missiles designed to defend against aircraft, helicopters, aerial drones, anti-ship missiles and cruise missiles. Its original purpose was to protect vessels and strategic naval installations.

IAI will also present its Heron MK II UAV, which has the ability to collect intelligence on targets from a long distance. Also shown will be the Scorpius-G, designed to aerial threats using electromagnetic beams, and the company’s Wind Demon, a long-range air-to-surface cruise missile.

Elbit Systems announced a week before the opening of the French defense exhibition that it will also introduce the company’s latest developments in the aerial domain, but did not specify which systems.

There is still uncertainty among Israeli defense companies regarding their participation in the Paris Air Show in light of the tense situation between France and Israel amidst the ongoing war in Gaza. In last May, France canceled the participation of Israeli defense companies in the Eurosatory 2024 event.

Yoav Turgeman, CEO of Rafael, addressed the issue during a press briefing held by the company two weeks before the opening of the Paris Air Show, saying that “for now everything is business as usual. We have not received any notification on the subject.”

Tzally Greenberg is the Israel correspondent for Defense News. He has experience reporting on economic affairs as well as defense and cyber companies.

耶路撒冷——据以色列国防部和当地国防公司称，由于加沙战争的处理方式导致以色列与法国的关系降温，以色列国防公司计划下周在巴黎航展上展示新型武器。

国防官员表示，以色列国防系统在展会上的亮点预计将是拉斐尔公司的高能激光武器系统系列：铁束450毫米、铁束-M 250毫米和光束。

“铁束”系统是一种用于防御短程火箭弹、导弹和无人机的防御性武器。在以色列近期宣布在持续的以加战争中成功使用激光拦截无人机之后，该系统预计将在巴黎航展上亮相。

以色列航空航天工业公司（IAI）还将展示其空中防御系统，重点展示“箭”式反弹道导弹和“巴拉克MX”综合防空反导系统。

“箭”式导弹系统由美国资助，并与波音公司合作研发。该系统操作两种类型的拦截导弹，即“箭-2”和“箭-3”，由指挥控制系统和火控系统组成。

巴拉克MX系统是一种模块化、多任务主动防御系统，由海空导弹和地空导弹组成，旨在防御飞机、直升机、无人机、反舰导弹和巡航导弹。其最初目的是保护舰艇和战略海军设施。

以色列航空工业公司（IAI）还将展示其“苍鹭”MK II型无人机，该无人机具备远距离目标情报收集能力。此外，该公司还将展出利用电磁波束攻击空中威胁的“天蝎-G”无人机，以及远程空对地巡航导弹“风魔”。

在法国国防展览会开幕前一周，埃尔比特系统公司宣布，该公司还将推出其在航空领域的最新研发成果，但没有具体说明是哪些系统。

鉴于加沙战争持续不断，法以关系紧张，以色列国防企业对是否参加巴黎航展仍存有疑虑。去年五月，法国取消了以色列国防企业参加2024年欧洲防务展（Eurosatory 2024）的资格。

拉斐尔公司首席执行官约阿夫·图尔格曼在巴黎航展开幕前两周举行的新闻发布会上谈到了这个问题，他说：“目前一切照常。我们还没有收到任何关于此事的通知。”

特扎利·格林伯格是《防务新闻》的以色列记者。他拥有丰富的经济事务以及国防和网络安全公司报道经验。