coordinated, and at least partially French-led response to collective defence. The ‘Eurosatory Lab’ attracted considerable attention during the show. A dedicated space focused on startups allowed attendees to see at first hand some of the micro-enterprises from which springs so much of the innovation on which our industry thrives. Themes running through the many presentations and pitches made by these entrepreneurial teams included robotics, artificial intelligence, performance, maintenance, territorial security – all issues redolent of the conversations taking place between bodies great and small throughout the event. The ’Humanitarian Emergency Logistic Project and Eco Development’ (HELPED) initiative, also with its own dedicated area, attracted 75 exhibiting companies, united in a desire to showcase technologies, capabilities and solutions across the entire spectrum of crisis response, disaster management and humanitarian assistance. But an accounting of ‘firsts’ is not the only metric by which the success of an event such as Eurosatory 2022 is measured. The bottom line is the extent to which companies – large and small – continue to choose the biennial gathering as a venue for major announcements, product launches and the trumpeting of success stories – as well as an effective lobbying platform. Eurosatory 2022 rose to the occasion in this respect, too – as our sampling of such announcements below will surely confirm. Rheinmetall and Michelin Launch Cooperation Agreement Mr Wittlinger and Ms de Bonnechose – and observer – signing the agreement at Eurosatory. (Photo: Rheinmetall) Seekingadditional market opportunities andcustomer-centric solutions, Rheinmetall MANMilitary Vehicles (RMMV) and tyre manufacturer Michelin agreed to closer cooperation in defence vehicle mobility during the show. Michael Wittlinger, CEO of RMMV, and Bénédicte de Bonnechose, EVP Michelin Long-Distance and Urban Transportation, Europe Regions, signed a confirmatory agreement at Eurosatory in Villepinte in June. Motivated by similar values and the desire to innovate, both companies seek to develop further opportunities solutions in response to customer expectations. Exchange of customer experiences and coordinated development of tyres and other systems may be part of future common projects. “This agreement is an important step in paving the way for a more active and diversified collaboration,” said Wittlinger. “Working with Michelin has proven fruitful for a long period of time. Now, we are happy to take the next step together towards deepening the existing bonds.” RMMV is a leading provider of logistic land mobility solutions, with a 1,743 exhibitors from 62 countries – 62% international: 39 national pavilions; over 62,000 professional visitors from 150 countries; 250 delegations from 96 countries. The statistics are in themselves impressive – even more so when reflecting that the visitor numbers reprersent an 8.7% increase over the 2018 iteration of the exhibition, and the official delegations a 10% increase. When considered against the background of a four year absence from the international defence and security exhibition circuit, the ‘performance’ of Eurosatory 2022 is revealed in all its glory. By any measure, the event was an unqualified success – MilTech looks at some of the more telling aspects and revisits some of the important stories of that week in June in Paris. Eurosatory 2022 was not, of course, the ‘first to market’ in terms of a post-pandemic return for a major show in our community: that accolade properly belongs to DSEI 2021 in London last September. But the Paris event addressed the keen anticipation the community had expressed – that DSEI and Eurosatory between them – given their differences and similarities – would signify a return to normal or, more accurately, the beginning of what we might consider the ‘new normal’. Not quite business as usual but, as usual – business! Over five days, the hallmarks of the exhibit halls at Villepinte were: busy stands, busy exhibitors and crowded aisles – sometimes the latter was a frustrating issue, given the tendency for impromptu meetings to be held in an aisle just when one of the 560 journalists accredited to the exhibition (or an executive, for that matter) is trying to get to the next in an apparently interminable series of appointments – but a sign of a healthy event, for all that. There were a number of ‘firsts’ for Eurosatory 2022. Echoing the prestige of the much older (and, arguably, grander) Salon Le Bourget (the Paris Airshow to you and I), Eurosatory was inaugurated by the President of the French Republic. Given the preoccupation with the unfolding of events in Ukraine, and all the accompanying political, military, economic and diplomatic concerns, the fact that Emmanuel Macron took the time to visit and officiate at Villepinte was symbolic. It helped, of course, that it gave the President an opportunity to underline his continuing position in support of European sovereignty and hegemony, and for a more cohesive, 54 · MT 4/2022 Special Feature Tim Mahon Un Rendez-Vous Formidable! Eurosatory 2022 Retrospective Typical of the community of interested individuals surrounding and involved with any one exhibit – a phenomenon repeated literally hundreds of times at Eurosatory 2022. (Photo: idoc.as)
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM5Mjg=