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France wants to rapidly close large unmanned aircraft technology gap they have with the Americans "France fully acknowledges Israel's experience in the development of advanced pilotless aircraft. We strongly feel France must rapidly close the large gap existing between us and the Americans in this field," said Francois Moysan to The Jerusalem Post. Moysan is a project engineer for the French Defense Ministry Armaments Directorate. Moysan also said IAI would team up with European defense giant EADS in a new $350 million French contract for the joint development of EuroMALE - a high-altitude, long-range, wide-body drone. "EuroMALE will be...

PARIS, June 15 (AFP) - US aeronautic giant Boeing said Wednesday it had won a firm order for 18 of its 737-800 jets from Air Europa. The Spanish airline also took out an option on 12 more 737-800s, Boeing said. The catalogue price for 18 737-800s is 1.17 billion dollars (966.82 million euros). Separately, Air Europa said it intended to buy 10 Airbus A350s, the long-haul, midsize aircraft planned to respond to Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner. The list price of the A350 ranges between 160 and 180 million dollars, according to the version. The Spanish airline will use the new...

PARIS, June 14, 2005 — The Boeing [NYSE: BA] X-45A J-UCAS (Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems) program received the prestigious Flight International Aerospace Industry Award for 2005 in the category of Missiles and Military Aviation. Held in conjunction with the Paris Air Show, the awards cover twelve categories representing military and commercial aerospace. Darryl Davis, program manager during the majority of the X-45A flight test program, and now vice president of Boeing Global Strike Solutions, accepted the award on behalf of the Boeing/DARPA/Air Force/Navy J-UCAS team. “We met the challenge to develop an autonomous unmanned aircraft capable of handling complex...

LE BOURGET, France, June 14, 2005 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS) announced today the lessor's purchase of 20 Boeing Next-Generation 737s worth US$1.1 billion at list prices. GECAS also is identifying itself as the customer for 12 Boeing 737s ordered last year that were attributed to an unidentified customer. These 12 airplanes will be delivered starting late this year and throughout 2006. All 12 have been placed with airlines. The 32 airplanes on firm order, in conjunction with six 737s ordered last month for lease to Sky Europe, bring to 38 the firm...

LE BOURGET, France, June 14, 2005 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE:BA] and International Lease Finance Corp. (ILFC) today announced a firm order for 20 Next-Generation 737-700s/-800s, six 777-300ERs (Extended Range) and two 777-200ERs, together valued at nearly $2.9 billion at list prices. The 777 deliveries begin late next year and extend into 2008. The 737s will be delivered in 2008. "ILFC continues to experience sustained and robust leasing demand from our airline customers worldwide for new Boeing Next-Generation 737 airplanes and 777-200ER and 777-300ER intercontinental long-range jets,” said Steven F. Udvar-Hazy, chairman and chief executive officer - ILFC. “This transaction...

The Paris Air Show (Salon International de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace, Paris-Le Bourget) is an international trade fair for the aerospace business. It is held at Le Bourget airport near Paris, France every odd year, alternating with the Farnborough International Exhibition and Flying Display. The next show will be held 13th June–19th June 2005. The Paris Air Show is a commercial air show, organised by the French aerospace industry's body the Groupement des Industries Françaises Aéronautiques et Spatiales (GIFAS) whose main purpose is to demonstrate military and civilian aircraft to potential customers. It is one of the most prestigious in...

LE BOURGET, France (Reuters) - Qatar Airways plans to buy up to 60 of European planemaker Airbus's new A350 mid-size jets in a deal that could be worth $10.6 billion, the Middle Eastern airline said at the Paris Air Show on Monday. Doha-based Qatar also said it planned to buy at least 20 of Boeing Co's larger 777 plane for around $4.6 billion. The deal will give a big boost to Airbus as it tries to build up enough orders to proceed with its A350 project, a rival to Boeing's successful mid-size 787 plane. "The Airbus A350 will be the...

Boeing issued a new challenge to its arch-rival Airbus yesterday, saying it expected to regain its status as the world's biggest supplier of airliners by 2008 at the latest. Alan Mullaly, head of the American group's commercial planes division, delivered a series of damaging blows to its opponent on the eve of the biennial air show at Le Bourget, Paris, which was meant to be a showcase for the European company's A380 super-jumbo. First, he said Boeing was in talks with another 27 airlines over potentially 427 more orders for its new 787 Dreamliner - raising the prospect of nearly...

The 2005 Paris Air Show was supposed to be a triumph for Airbus. Opening tomorrow at Le Bourget airfield, the event was to be a backyard showcase for the new A380 superjumbo jet and an opportunity for the European jet maker to once again upstage Boeing. Instead, on the eve of the show, Airbus is struggling with a rash of bad news and straining to prove it can match Boeing's 787. It's a welcome change for Boeing, flush from its recent run of jet orders. This may be its most angst-free air show in years. Doug McVitie, a former senior...

LE BOURGET, France - Aircraft of all descriptions are arriving for the Paris Air Show, but the global aerospace industry's biggest gathering looks certain to be dominated more than ever by its biggest rivalry: the Boeing-Airbus dogfight. Planes and helicopters have been flying in since early this week to take their places on the tarmac at Le Bourget, north of Paris, where they will go on display Monday alongside aeronautic and military hardware ranging from flight simulators to missiles. Among them, the Airbus A380 "superjumbo" is bound to get the most attention at its first air show appearance — even...

-- 20-city ‘Going the Distance' world tour kicked off -- World record flight scheduled for later this year PARIS, June 10, 2005 -- The Boeing [NYSE:BA] 777-200LR Worldliner -- the world's longest-range commercial airplane -- completed its first intercontinental flight today, arriving at the Le Bourget, France, airport for the 46 th Paris Air Show. This week in Montreal , the 777-200LR kicked off its "Going the Distance" tour, and will visit more than 20 cities in the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Australia, and North America through August. "Recent sales successes demonstrate that demand for the 777-200LR is climbing," said...

Airbus is widely expected to win the prize for hoopla at this year's June 13-19 Paris Air Show, by parading its giant new A380 there, and also by launching its new A350 twinjet with an anticipated order from Emirates airline. But there's at least a chance that Boeing will grab headlines with a dramatic move of its own -- in the form of a launch order for the 747 Advanced, a new version of Boeing's largest and most venerable commercial aircraft. The reconfigured airliner would feature more powerful and more efficient engines derived from Boeing's new 787. But even if...

Boeing to Highlight 787 Dreamliner, 777-200LR Worldliner and KC-767A Tanker Transport Aircraft at Paris Air Show 2005 CHICAGO, June 3, 2005 – The world’s longest-range passenger jet, the most advanced and capable tanker aircraft, and the aviation industry’s best-selling new airplane will be among the products featured by The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] at this year’s Paris Air Show, beginning June 13 at Le Bourget airfield outside Paris. “Boeing is entering the air show with tremendous momentum,” said Tod Hullin, Boeing senior vice president, Communications. “This is a company that’s on the move. Our financial performance has been strong, and...

Emirates and Qatar Airways the two fast-growing Gulf-based carriers are set to announce a number of firm orders that could add up to somewhere between 100 to 120 aircraft, aviation officials said. The announcement will be made at the forthcoming Paris Air Show to be held from June 13 to 19, according to a Gulf News report from Tokyo. While Emirates is set to order a combination of A350s and Boeing's ultra-long range B777-200LRs, Qatar Airways is set to order as many as 50 to 60 B787s. Following Emirates' recent revelation, Qatar Airways is also set to sign a major...

AIRBUS is expected to launch orders for its brand new A350 aircraft, being developed to compete against rival Boeing's 7E7 Dreamliner. Airbus is confident more than 100 orders for the A350 twin-jet will be announced at the Paris Air Show next month. If announced, the orders will be a huge boost for Airbus's plant at Broughton where wings for all its jets are made. Head of commercial sales John Leahy said negotiations for the A350 are being conducted with several airlines. He said: "We are in final talks with several companies. We'll have more than 100 firm orders in the...

The Website is at:http://www.airshow.mod.gov.il/ You can find out about what they have there, etc.

Held every two years at Le Bourget just outside the French capital during the third week of June, the Paris Air Show is considered the premier venue for the world's aerospace industries and the place for defense officials to meet, mix and snoop. "Israel is comfortably ranked on the world's top ten list of leading defense manufacturers," Israeli Defense Ministry Director-General Amos Yaron told reporters at the Israeli pavilion, one of the largest at the show. "We intend to cultivate the image of Israel as a world-class defense industry leader in order to improve relationships with countries important for Israel,"...

Paris Air Show opens in crisis mode LE BOURGET, France (AFP) ?2003 AFP Graphic fact file on this weekend's Paris air show at Le Bourget. The Paris Air Show, the world's premiere aviation showcase, opens to the public, flying buffs and professionals here in the grip of the worst crisis in aviation history.At a media preview Saturday of the biennial show at Le Bourget airport, near Paris, the gloom was palpable despite a three-ring circus atmosphere of roaring aerobatics overhead as hulking planes were towed around the fairgrounds.Dassault Aviation chief executive Charles Edelstenne sounded the alarm in giving the...

French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie has sharply criticised her US counterpart Donald Rumsfeld's view of the world. In a newspaper interview coinciding with the opening of the 45th annual Paris air show, Mrs Alliot-Marie said Mr Rumsfeld espoused a US-centred vision. "The American defence secretary believes the United States is the only military, economic and financial power in the world. We do not share this vision," Mrs Alliot-Marie told Le Monde. Her comments came after news that the American defence department - along with many US aerospace firms - had reduced its participation in this year's show in apparent retaliation...

Saturday, Jun 14, 2003 The organisers of the Paris Air Show, which opens Sunday, are counting the cost of France's row with Washington over Iraq after it emerged Friday that the head of Lockheed Martin of the US, the world's biggest defence company, has pulled out. The snub means that there will be no senior representation from the US aerospace industry or the American military at the event. For Pentagon officials it is the coup de grâce, capping months of behind-the-scenes lobbying against US attendance at the biennial show - usually the biggest gathering of its kind for military top...