Euronaval Naval Arms Exhibition and Restrictions on Israeli Industries

The Euronaval 2026 exhibition opened in Paris with French restrictions on Israeli industries, which were only allowed to display defensive weapons. Elbit unveiled a new UUV, and Israel Aerospace Industries presents the BlueWhale. Background: a 47% surge in the global market for naval combat systems.

The Euronaval 2026 naval arms exhibition opened in Paris with participation from over 700 companies from about 40 countries, but Israeli companies – Israel Aerospace Industries, Elbit Systems, and Rafael – were only allowed to display defensive weapons. Elbit unveiled for the first time an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) for intelligence gathering and protection of underwater infrastructure, alongside an electronic warfare system and a robotic vessel for anti-submarine warfare. Israel Aerospace Industries presents the unmanned BlueWhale submarine, delivered in February to the German Navy. The French restrictions included a ban on displaying offensive systems, a requirement to remove offensive videos, and preventing official representatives of the Israeli government from participating. This comes against the backdrop of a 47% surge in the naval combat systems market, reaching about $124 billion in 2024-2025, partly due to conflicts in the Strait of Hormuz and the war in Ukraine. The restrictions add to similar limitations at the Eurosatory exhibition in June, and concerns that Israel's participation in the Le Bourget air show in summer 2027 will also be blocked.