An introduction by General Stéphane Abrial, Chief of French Air Staff (CEMAA), to the special feature on aerospace in the Paris Air Show issue of Défense nationale et sécurité collective.
Introduction
The 47th Salon International de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace, the Paris Air Show, opens on Monday 18 June 2007 at Le Bourget. Aviation enthusiasts as well as the merely curious will be drawn to Paris to admire displays by the most modern of aircraft. Companies will promote their products, make new contacts and probably announce contracts. The military will take advantage of the presence of the leading manufacturers to assess new equipment and discuss future developments.
The technology aspects will be highlighted in the specialised press. Newspapers and magazines will carry detailed analysis of the performance of the latest combat aircraft from France, Europe, the United States and Russia. We therefore feel it appropriate to offer readers of this publication an overview of air power that is not technology-based. We will avoid mundane details of speed, thrust or manoeuvrability characteristics, even if this data is clearly vital and could make the difference between life and death in aerial combat.
The various authors invited to write articles have covered other aspects, and the subjects addressed are highly varied. I believe, however, that their contributions all offer their own answers to the following question: what is the purpose of an air force?
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