July 14, 2022:
In June over fifty Israeli defense firms participated in the Paris Eurosatory defense exhibition. The Israeli firms were busy because once more Israeli military equipment was much in demand because it continued to be the most capable and innovative items available for export. Israel has become one of the top ten arms exporters in the world, which is remarkable for a country with a population of nine million, few natural resources and the highest per-capita GDP in the region. Most of that GDP comes from developing and selling tech of all sorts. Constantly under attack since it was founded 74 years ago, Israel has made peace with most of its Arab neighbors. These former enemies can now freely trade with Israel, including purchasing military tech for defense against mutual foe Iran.
Some military tech was not being offered at Eurosatory. This included some systems designed for Israeli F-35 fighters or Israeli ABM (Anti-Ballistic-Missile) systems. Some of the ABM tech is available to long-term and trusted trading partners. Some of their new Arab allies have access to Israeli air defense tech as part of Israel joining the coalition formed to defend members from Iranian missile attack. The Israeli air defense tech is combat tested and known to work. The same applies with most Israeli military tech. This is why so many Israeli defense firms are at Eurosatory, where the Israeli displays are heavily attended by customers seeking to buy the latest and most effective equipment.
Israel defense firms design, develop and manufacture a wide variety of weapons and equipment. With growing military threats in the Middle East, Ukraine and the Pacific (China), Israel is one of the best sources for the latest tech, especially items that are upgrades of older items that have been successful in combat. Israeli firms offered new missiles, fire control systems, sensors and specialized military vehicles. Israel pioneered the development of ATGMs (anti-tank guided missiles) UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), as well as unmanned ships and surveillance equipment for manned and unmanned land vehicles, ships and aircraft. Israel doesn’t build its own aircraft and warships but it does design them and equip them with Israeli sensors, control systems and weapons. Israel does produce its own heavy tank, the Merkava, which is in its third generation now and uses a lot of Israeli systems that Israel offers for export.
Many Israeli weapons systems are developed in collaboration with other countries including the United States (for ABMS, air defense and warplane accessories) and Germany (for submarines).