politics
French Limits on Israeli Weapons Displays at Paris Arms Show Allow Some Participation and Record Exports
French officials restricted Israeli exhibitors at the Eurosatory arms show in Paris last month to displays of air defense equipment only. Several companies were walled off from the main floor after inspections found noncompliance. Heven AeroTech presented its headquarters as Dulles, Virginia, to avoid the restrictions.
Jul 21, 3:10 PM·1m read1 source
globalnews.caAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Developing·Limited corroboration so far. This page will refresh as more sources emerge.
Israeli defense companies encountered physical barriers and display limits at the Eurosatory arms show in Paris last month after French officials determined that some exhibits violated rules on offensive weaponry. Heven AeroTech, a maker of hydrogen-powered drones, opened its new headquarters in Dulles, Virginia, in 2025 and told attendees it was based there.
The move allowed the firm to avoid the walled-off sections that separated many other Israeli exhibitors from the main floor.
The French defense ministry had informed Israel ahead of the event that government representatives would not attend and that Israeli firms could show only hardware related to air defense and anti-missile systems. The ministry cited concerns over Israel’s military operations in Gaza and Lebanon as well as extremist settler violence in the West Bank.
It stated that France does not export arms liable to be used by Israel in those areas and cannot accept their promotion on national soil.
France had banned all Israeli participation in 2024, but courts later ruled that measure discriminatory. Israel accused France of unjustly targeting Israeli offensive defense systems. , and Ondas, a U.S.
Firm that has acquired more than half a dozen Israeli drone-related companies. Foreign Policy reported that Israel’s defense exports reached a record $19.2 billion in 2025, nearly one-third higher than the prior year and four times the level of a decade earlier.
Tomer Malchi, CEO of ASIO Technologies, said Asian and eastern European NATO customers continued to seek Israeli navigation systems for drones without regard to European political disputes.
