U.S. Arms Makers Cite Strong Demand from Foreign Buyers
July 9, 2012
Military budgets may be under pressure in the United States and Europe but there is growing demand from the Middle East, Asia and other regions for new fighter jets, helicopters and surveillance equipment, top weapons industry executives say.
"We have probably our busiest air show as of right now," William Swanson, chief executive of Raytheon Co told Reuters in an interview on the opening day of the Farnborough International Airshow, the largest aerospace showcase in the world.
British Prime Minister David Cameron opened the show, where 83 trade and military delegations from over 43 countries got a firsthand look at new commercial and military aircraft, including Boeing Co's 787 Dreamliner, the European four-nation Typhoon and the V-22 Osprey, a tilt-rotor aircraft built by Boeing and Bell Helicopter, a unit of Textron.