The growing worldwide interest in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is plain to see at Le Bourget. Some 20 UAVs are on display in the static park alone and hundreds of exhibits in the main hall look at the technology that supports them.
Speaking at the Shephard Press Unmanned Vehicles Conference, Brigadier Jonathan Bailey, director of the UK's Royal Artillery, commented that the business opportunities for UAV manufacturers were "tremendous". "There are more than 100 projects and contracts around the world at the moment," he says. "This is one of the few growth industries in defence - there are ever growing applications."
The fact that there were two conferences on UAVs in Paris in the days running up to Le Bourget is further indication of the interest in the subject among industry and customers. Shephard Press group managing director John Woolley says 300 delegates and speakers from 20 countries attended Shephard¹s two-day event. "This is the biggest show we¹ve done," he says. Peter van Blyenburgh, of the European Unmanned Vehicle Association, says 250 speakers and delegates attended his event.
Source: Flight Daily News
