by Michelle Ciarrocca
As a sign of the Bush administration's displeasure with France because of its opposition to the US-led war in Iraq, the Pentagon is scaling back its presence at this year's Paris Air Show, the global defense industry's largest and oldest international showcase. But make no mistake, the show will go on. No high-ranking US government officials or general military officers will be in attendance, and only six military aircraft - all of them being flown in from Operation Iraqi Freedom - will be on display, compared to the dozen or more usually on exhibit. And there will be no high-profile flight demonstrations of US military aircraft.
Still, officials at the show say that over 1800 companies will be on hand, similar to the record levels of companies exhibiting in 2001. However, this time around, on the heels of Gulf War II, analysts are predicting a more somber tone than in the wake of past wars.
As a sign of the Bush administration's displeasure with France because of its opposition to the US-led war in Iraq, the Pentagon is scaling back its presence at this year's Paris Air Show, the global defense industry's largest and oldest international showcase. But make no mistake, the show will go on. No high-ranking US government officials or general military officers will be in attendance, and only six military aircraft - all of them being flown in from Operation Iraqi Freedom - will be on display, compared to the dozen or more usually on exhibit. And there will be no high-profile flight demonstrations of US military aircraft.
Still, officials at the show say that over 1800 companies will be on hand, similar to the record levels of companies exhibiting in 2001. However, this time around, on the heels of Gulf War II, analysts are predicting a more somber tone than in the wake of past wars.
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