Chile alters Fidae air and space fair, April 9–14, at Santiago’s Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport.
Israeli companies, traditionally participants in this event organized by the Chilean Air Force, will not attend the 2024 fair.
The decision, unveiled by the Chilean National Defense Ministry on March 5, aligns with President Gabriel Boric’s stance.
It reflects a response to the decline in relations following Chile’s criticism of Israeli military operations in Gaza after a Hamas-initiated attack on October 7.
For about fifty years, Israel’s defense sector has interconnected with Chile‘s military and police forces, supplying a wide array of technology and equipment.
However, this includes communication and control systems, electronic and cyber warfare tools, drones, and more.
Israel’s Ministry of Defense listed CTI-INT Solutions, Dagan-Optics, Elbit Systems, and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for participation, now canceled.
In addition, the Israel pavilion, scheduled for Fidae’s 23rd edition, was set to feature displays from key Israeli defense firms.
Participants included MER Group, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Camero, Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), and Meprolight from SK Group.
This exclusion underscores evolving international relations and defense collaborations, with broader implications for global defense and aerospace events.
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