Since I first saw Israel's massive exhibition complex, I've been intrigued to find out what our New Jersey-sized ally has to offer and why in the world they would need so much space to display it. Unfortunately for the Israelis, my curiosity put me in the minority at Le Bourget. At their "first-ever" super-duper, invite-only press tour, only seven reporters, including myself, turned out to see what the fuss was about.

Israeli Aerospace Industries contributes to the carnival atmosphere by
hosting events in what appears to be a Gravitron.

So, while the vast majority of my colleagues were outside watching the show, I set off on a tour with "Israel's leading defense expert," Dr. Ehud Ganini, that featured the products of some eleven Israeli defense companies. I learned that Bental Industries makes very small UAVs, Star Defense Systems manufactures night vision goggles and flight suits, SGD makes reconnaissance and countermeasure pods for the F-16, and on and on. A handful of companies did exhibit more interesting and innovative products. For example, Aeronautics Defense Systems had on display a model of their unmanned surface warfare vessel, the SeaStar, which can use lethal and non-lethal means (think water cannon) to eliminate threats. Plasan Sasa was happy to announce a deal signed just two weeks ago to supply the Marine Corps with 1,200 armor kits new MRAPs by February 2008--though it's unclear to us why the Marine Corps is buying MRAPs without armor, and the company spokesperson was unwilling to reveal any specifics as to the thickness of the armor or its survivability against threats like explosively formed projectiles (EFP).

The most exciting display of all was also the most incomprehensible. Elbit Systems put on an impressive 3-D video production that included a helicopter, UAV, fixed wing jet and infantry forces collaborating to accomplish a fictitious combat operation. They even hired refined British actors, snubbing one of their own employees who confessed to me that his mild Israeli accent disqualified him. Thanks to catch-phrases like "operational success with ease" and liberal use of the word "synergy," I was utterly lost by the end but happy enough to have rested my legs watching Elbit's show.

One last interesting tidbit I discovered before ditching the happy hour for the press center is that as of July 2005, Israel's exports of military technology exceed her imports--though it is unclear whether this statistic takes into account the considerable military assistance given to Israel by the United States each year. Also unclear is whether any of the fancy Israeli technology on display at Le Bourget will be useful in countering the low-tech threat posed by Hezbollah and Hamas. Still, the Israelis put on a good show, even if attendance was somewhat less than expected.