EuroSatory Defense Exhibition Also Canceled

On the 14th, the integrated counter-drone defense system was exhibited at the 'Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition 2019' held at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.
Seongnam ? Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] Due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), domestic and international defense industry-related events have been consecutively canceled. With the loss of not only defense technology cooperation but also promotional opportunities, the sighs of the domestic defense industry are growing deeper.

According to the defense industry on the 1st, the 'Eurosatory 2020' defense exhibition scheduled to be held in Paris, France from June 8 to 12 has been canceled. Eurosatory, first held in 1967, is held every two years, but this is the first time the event has been canceled. Originally, this year's event was expected to host about 2,000 defense companies from over 90 countries.

Expectations from domestic defense companies were also high. Companies such as Hanwha Techwin, Hanwha, Poongsan, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), and S&T Motiv were preparing individual booths, and 13 small and medium-sized enterprises were also preparing to participate. The Korean pavilion area was expanded to about 638㎡, three times larger than the 205㎡ in 2014. Hanwha Techwin planned to exhibit the K-9 self-propelled howitzer exported to Poland, KAI the domestically produced Surion (KUH-1) utility helicopter, and S&T Motiv the upgraded version of the K2 rifle. Eurosatory is considered one of the world's major weapons exhibitions, showcasing advanced weapons not only from leading U.S. and European defense companies but also from Asian countries.

The Korea-Philippines Defense Logistics Joint Committee scheduled for this month was also canceled. The government planned to hold the committee in Manila, Philippines this month to discuss holding a defense cooperation seminar promised by both countries after revising the 'Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Logistics Cooperation' signed in 1994. In particular, domestic defense companies were expected to participate in this seminar to promote excellent weapon systems such as submarines, guided weapons, unmanned aerial vehicles, and light tanks.

The defense technology cooperation meeting with the United States was also canceled. Originally, the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) planned to hold the Defense Technology Cooperation Subcommittee (TCSC) this month to closely discuss data exchange agreements with the U.S., joint technology development projects, and the status of scientific and technical personnel exchanges. The TCSC is a subcommittee under the Defense Technology Cooperation Committee (DTICC) of the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) between Korea and the U.S., playing a key role in technology cooperation applying fourth industrial technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and unmanned autonomy to defense research and development.

A defense industry official said, "With various events where domestic defense companies could pioneer export routes being canceled, we are facing difficult situations both domestically and internationally," adding, "Although we are conducting video meetings with overseas buyers due to COVID-19, the consultation period inevitably becomes longer, and we are anxious about possibly missing export opportunities."