WASHINGTON — At the 2016 Farnborough International Airshow, American firms are hoping to supplement the usual array of high-end air power options by cashing in on an increased focus on border security in Europe and the Arabian Gulf.

"I fully expect to see a lot of attention paid to ISR and border security-type devices. Tethered aerostats, UAS that can run borders and provide intelligence, both fixed and moving capability — I expect to see a lot of that," said David Melcher, the head of the US-based Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) trade group.

Alek Jovovic, a principal with the analysis firm Avascent, said in a June 29 webinar that ISR and land surveillance technologies are, indeed, a growth sector for both US and international companies.

"Last year talked about expectation for ISR aircraft to increase, and in fact that happened this year," Jovovic said. "Their proportion of spending has improved quite substantially, so I think it's an interesting trend and to continue to watch this space."

He added that interest in systems that can conduct land combat operations has also increased, in part because of the intensity of operations in using those aircraft around the world.

But while internal and border security will be a focus, Melcher said that the US produces significant numbers of high-end capabilities, and Farnborough is still an air show, so firms will not be shy about demonstrating their jets.

"I think there are a lot of examples of countries are looking for fighter capability, attack-helicopter capability, intelligence-gathering capabilities, all if which the US is pretty darn good at manufacturing," Melcher said. "F-15s are still a very viable market; F-16s, there is a whole host that goes along with the upgrades to those, the electronic systems and everything else."

He also identified air defense radars and missiles as items likely to draw a lot of international attention at the show. And Melcher expects that the trend of international customers wanting full pieces of equipment as opposed to components will continue as well.

"They want to buy end items because they don't have their own industry that is producing them to the level they want, and if they are a NATO ally they want compatible capability with the US," he said.

That last point drives home one change from the last few Farnborough events, as interest from Eastern European nations are expected to be high due to fears of Russian aggression in Europe.

"The storyline has historically been Middle East and Asia, Middle East and Asia," said Remy Nathan, AIA's vice president for international sales. "This time it will be a lot more Middle East, Asia and Europe at this show."

Ironically, the one thing there likely won't be much of at the show are sales.

"I don't think anybody goes to the show and says, 'Eureka, I just realized I gotta buy 20 of these planes!' " Melcher said with a laugh. "It doesn't happen. But it is a place for companies to showcase recent orders they've gotten that they held until the show in order to publicize them."

Email: amehta@defensenews.com | vinsinna@defensenews.com

Twitter: @AaronMehta | @ValerieInsinna

About Aaron Mehta and Valerie Insinna

Aaron Mehta was deputy editor and senior Pentagon correspondent for Defense News, covering policy, strategy and acquisition at the highest levels of the Defense Department and its international partners.

Valerie Insinna is Defense News' air warfare reporter. She previously worked the Navy/congressional beats for Defense Daily, which followed almost three years as a staff writer for National Defense Magazine. Prior to that, she worked as an editorial assistant for the Tokyo Shimbun’s Washington bureau.

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