With 2018 marking the centennial of the Armistice ending World War I and the founding of the Royal Air Force (RAF), the USA Partnership Pavilion is commemorating at Farnborough International Airshow (FIA) the succeeding century-long bond between the U.S. and Europe, while showcasing the latest products and services from scores of American companies.
Spanning Halls 2, 3, and 4, the 4,000-sq-m (43,000-sq-ft) USA Partnership Pavilion features more than 250 exhibitors, nearly 90 of them new to market and 50 new to the show. They range from cutting-edge technology innovators to bedrock support services, but they’re not looking simply to sell offerings or find vendors here. “Now more than ever, success in international trade comes from partnership and teamwork,” said Tom Kallman, president and CEO, Kallman Worldwide, which organizes the Pavilion in coordination with U.S. agencies including the Departments of Commerce, Defense, State, and Transportation.
After more than two decades at Farnborough, this year the Pavilion has been rebranded under the partnership banner to reflect a renewed focus on long-term relationships.
“Business is being done by partners in the year 2018, not so much by buyers and sellers,” said Kallman. “Everyone from supermarkets to car dealerships wants to establish or build on that foundation of trust and that relationship partnership implies.”
That message has particular resonance this year at FIA. Yesterday, the Kallman team escorted U.S. exhibitors and dignitaries to neighboring Brookwood American Cemetery and Memorial where 1,031 American soldiers who died during WWI are interred or memorialized. To honor them, and all Americans who died overseas in the Great War, the USA Partnership Pavilion logo is graced this year by the addition of two “Buddy Poppies,” the official memorial flower of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.
At the Pavilion Opening Ceremonies and Ribbon Cutting today, Kallman, along with Col. Al Worden, USAF-Ret., mission command module pilot on the Apollo 15, led the presentation of a U.S. flag flown to the moon on that lunar mission and signed by Worden, to RAF leaders in commemoration of their corps’ 100th anniversary.
Kallman noted, “Many of our exhibitors—from publicly traded stalwarts such as Curtiss-Wright and Kratos Defense and Security Solutions to small- and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees—already have significant business partnerships and operations around the world.”
Pavilion Participants
Those that don’t have such connections today likely will tomorrow, given the quality of the technology and services they offer, said Kallman. Among the highlights: First-time exhibitor Optisys is showcasing its 3D printed metal antennas, which achieve the lightest weight and smallest volume physically possible. Mass customization through scaling, mixing, and matching of antenna subcomponents allows Optisys to provide antenna solutions at commercial times and pricing.
Vacco Industries, also new to FIA, is displaying its specialty valves, having been recently selected by Korean Aerospace Industries to supply aerial refueling receptacles for the in-development KF-X Fighter. Wilder Systems, another newcomer, is highlighting its next-generation mobile robots for aircraft manufacturing, and its innovative “robots-as-a-service” operating model.
Polymet arrives at FIA on the heels of working with NASA testing its unique extruded shape-memory alloy for potential folding wing applications. The first-time exhibitor supplies high-performance wire used in extreme environments in aerospace and other industries.
Advanced Ceramic Fibers (ACF) is displaying in its Farnborough debut metallic carbide reinforcing fibers for a new generation of fiber reinforced ceramic, metal and polymer matrix composites. ACF’s Fi-Bar reinforcing fiber’s affordability, strength, high-temperature capability and corrosion resistance enables the design of products never before possible, the company said.
Trumbull Unmanned, also new to the show, is showcasing its data collection by drone services, provided to the energy sector, leveraging commercial, research, and defense experience in high-risk, high-value, and high-stress operations, according to the company. Each team member is an engineer, UAV operator, and pilot.
Meanwhile, returning exhibitors are showcasing the latest additions to their product lines. Aeroprobe has expanded its line of integrated, mobile Micro Air Data Systems for manned and unmanned vehicles, and is showcasing units newly certified by the U.S. military and FAA, for example, while Solar Atmospheres is highlighting its newest thermal treatments for structural additive manufactured aviation components.
Despite the large number of companies and vast space, attendees will have no problem locating the U.S. exhibitors they’re looking for. “Our Visitor Zone has a very easy way of navigating to the products and services our exhibitors are bringing in,” said Kallman, with "go to" touch screens, "you are here" maps and ambassadors throughout the pavilion “to help people find their way around.” The Pavilion is also hosting a full program of executive briefings by exhibitors, and the administrators of both the FAA and NASA will be taking part in the scheduled activities.
“The USA Partnership Pavilion at Farnborough 2018 is more than a week-long home away from home for our exhibitors,” concluded Kallman. “It’s a statement of America’s dedicated role in the past, present, and future of the aerospace and defense industry.”