Foreign debuts, but few defence deals at Singapore air show
investing.comBy Gerry Doyle
SINGAPORE (Reuters) — The Singapore Airshow included the foreign debuts of new weapons systems, growing interest in systems that could destroy ballistic missiles and swat down drones — but it was missing any Russian presence and major defence deals were scarce.
The trade portion of Asia's biggest aviation gathering ended on Friday, with exhibitors packing up their sprawling displays of military hardware, aerospace services, parts and national pride.
After days of demonstration flights, Asian military acrobatic teams took a break on Friday, when no aerial displays were scheduled in advance of the public air show on Saturday and Sunday.
Unlike previous years, there were no Russian companies presenting their wares at the air show. With international sanctions hobbling business and the invasion of Ukraine sapping supplies, competitors said there were opportunities to step in with some Asian operators of Russian gear.
«In this region you have seen a shift away from Russian equipment already,» said Robert Hewson of Sweden's Saab. «Of course there are some natural client countries… who stay where they are» in terms of suppliers.
Several Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, also use Russian-made or Soviet Union-vintage equipment, sometimes alongside Western-made gear. Russia's largest arms exporters did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Israel's defence industry made a quiet return after being largely absent from the Dubai air show in November in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war — a subject that the companies were reluctant to discuss.
IAI, Rafael, Elbit and the Israeli defence ministry all declined to comment on anything involving the war in Gaza,
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