Europe's air defence manufacturing is drawing shoppers at the Paris Air Show 2023
Indigo's civilian deal order for 500 Airbus aircraft was the talk of the town yesterday at the 54th International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport, France. However, defence shoppers had plenty to lay their stealthy eyes on, too, despite manufacturers' delivery doldrums
This year's airshow has a new focus on defence following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, along with the industry's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. Defence manufacturers have been struggling to meet rising demand and delivery deadlines even as production shortages, rising costs of parts, and scarcity of skilled labour in the wake of the pandemic continue to plague the sector. 
Image: Benoit Tessier / Reuters
Visitors queue up to board a French Air Force Airbus SE A400M, a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. Built by Airbus Military, a consortium of European aerospace companies, and assembled in Spain, the A400M can carry a payload of up to 37 tonnes.
Image: Emmanuel Dunand / AFPEuropean multinational MBDA’s Mistral Atlas RC is a new Mistral system based on a remotely controlled turret, equipped with two or four Mistral missiles and the latest generation thermal sight, capable of being mounted on light armoured vehicles. Also read: How Tata Advanced Systems Limited is advancing the Tata group's aerospace and defence dreams
Image: Emmanuel Dunand/ AFPUkrainian delegation visits the European manufacturer MBDA's booth. Ukraine is negotiating with Western arms manufacturers to boost the production of weapons, including drones, in Ukraine.
Image: Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu via Getty ImagesA Rafale fighter of Dassault (left) and an F35 Lightning fighter jet of Lockheed Martin perform during the Paris Air Show. The last 36 IAF Rafale aircraft were delivered to India in an over Rs 60,000 crore deal.
Image: Emmanuel Dunand / AFPFrench company Turgis & Gaillard unveiled a military medium-altitude, long-endurance, unmanned air vehicle (UAV) named Aarok. According to its manufacturers, Aarok will be able to perform "multi-domain operations against peer competitors" and monitor large swathes of land and sea.Also read: Make in India: How HAL is gearing up to deliver
Image: Ludovic Marin/Pool via ReutersA view of medium-range air and missile defence ASTER 30 SAMP/T (christened MAMBA by the French Air Force). A mobile anti-aircraft defence weapon, Aster protects sensitive sites and deployed forces against missile threats and aircraft.
Image: Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/Pool via ReutersA conference on European air and missile defence, attended by French President Emmanuel Macron and EU defence ministers, on the sidelines of the International Paris Air Show, at the Hotel des Invalides in Paris.Also read: GE Aerospace's soaring ambitions in India
Image: Benoit Tessier / ReutersA Future Combat Air System (FCAS) model is on display. A European jet developed by France, Germany and Spain, FCAS is designed to replace the Eurofighter and Dassault's Rafale with a combination of manned and unmanned aircraft from 2040.
