France Restricts Israeli Defense Firms; Switzerland Eyes $5.5 Billion Deal

France is again imposing significant limitations on Israeli defense companies participating in the upcoming Euronaval exhibition in Paris, scheduled for November 3. This marks the third consecutive year France has restricted Israeli non-governmental exhibitors, following similar policies at the Eurosatory and Le Bourget air shows in previous years. At Eurosatory in June, Israel's government delegation was barred, and participating companies were limited to displaying only defensive and ballistic missile technologies, with offensive weapons prohibited. Some Israeli companies, including Smart Shooter and Aeronautics, reportedly had their exhibition booths physically obstructed.

These restrictions are viewed by Israel's Ministry of Defense as a systematic effort to sideline Israeli defense technology on the international stage under the guise of political considerations. The pattern began in October 2024, with an initial ban on Israeli companies at Euronaval that was later overturned by a commercial court. For the 2027 Le Bourget air show, Israeli companies have been informed that significant exhibition space will not be allocated due to a lack of availability.

In stark contrast to France's stance, Switzerland has advanced Israel Aerospace Industries' (IAI) Barak MX missile defense system to the final stage of a tender worth approximately 5.5 billion euros. The Barak MX will compete against the Franco-Italian SAMP/T NG system. This tender arises from a severe trust crisis regarding Switzerland's purchase of American Patriot systems.

Switzerland ordered five Patriot batteries in 2022 for an estimated 2.5 billion euros, with initial delivery planned for 2026. However, the war in Ukraine caused a 4-5 year delay, and recent U.S. notifications about the war in Iran suggest further delays, pushing delivery to 2032-2034. The price has also escalated to nearly 5 billion euros. Switzerland has paid about 700 million euros but halted further payments after the U.S. announced additional delays last summer. Consequently, Switzerland plans to acquire an interim system and will select between the Israeli and European options by early 2027, considering both economic and operational factors.

The Barak MX, developed by IAI with hundreds of millions of dollars in self-investment, is a multi-layered system capable of intercepting various threats at ranges from 15 to 150 km. It has operational experience from conflicts involving Israel and Iran and has been sold to countries including Slovakia, Morocco, Cyprus, Azerbaijan, Colombia, Thailand, and Greece, with reports of a sale to the UAE. The competing SAMP/T NG system, developed by Eurosam, has not yet gained operational experience in its NG version and is significantly more expensive per battery and interceptor. The Barak MX also benefits from less burdened production lines and a faster delivery capability of approximately two years.