No F-35 For Paris, But “Significant” US Delegation Anticipated

Organizers of the International Paris Air Show expect a larger US presence at the June event, although there is no indication the F-35 will make the journey across the Atlantic, said organizers during a Tuesday press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The last PAS in 2013 came after the US military scaled back travel and engagement activities, but with at least a temporary reprieve from the Budget Control Act, the US military is expected to send several aircraft for static display, including the F-16, F/A-18, and others, said PAS Managing Director Gilles Fournier. However, there will be no flying displays, added Fournier. The scope of the US delegation has not been finalized, said Kallman Worldwide CEO Tom Kallman. By May organizers should have finalized commitments on who will be attending the show, he said, noting a “significant delegation” from the US is anticipated. PAS Chairman Emeric d’Arcimoles said he hoped the F-35 would make its first international exhibition debut at Paris this year, a year after its scrubbed visit to Farnborough, but said it is not likely due to the costs involved.