Postcard from Paris Air Show 2025

The Paris Air Show 2025 began on June 16 and will continue till June 22, with the professional days running from June 16 to 19. After the crash of Air India Flight 171, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg cancelled his plans for attending the event, by when The Squirrels' Bhupendra Chaubey had boarded a plane from Delhi to Paris.

The Squirrels has been sending you these sneak peeks from the reputed event.

Dassault Aviation arrived at the Paris Air Show with the breadth of its products—from the latest versions of the Rafale, a model of its unmanned combat air system, and a replica of a future combat aircraft on its defence side.

During last month's Operation Sindoor, CNN and The Telegraph had reported, based on a shady and anonymous source, that Pakistan had downed six Rafale planes of India. 

Meanwhile, BAE Systems and Avioniq are conducting trials of the Rattlesnaq artificial intelligence (AI) suite on the Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft, as reported by Jane's Defence Weekly before the Paris Air Show 2025.

Paul Smith, the head of Typhoon Strategy Delivery at BAE Systems, along with Mikael Grev, the CEO of Avioniq, explained that the trials of the Swedish company's Rattlesnaq, which have so far occurred in a synthetic environment, are aimed at showcasing the training and operational advantages that the AI suite could offer to Eurofighter pilots, especially in the domain of beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air combat.

Chaubey also took pictures of HAMMER (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range), the French-made, air-to-ground, precision-guided bomb, also known as a glide bomb, developed by Safran.

French president François Bayrou told Chaubey India held a special place in his heart.

French president François Bayrou (@bayrou) tells The Squirrels' @bhupendrachaube India holds a special place in his heart!#ParisAirShow pic.twitter.com/k7VVHDMqf9

— The Squirrels (@thesquirrelsin) June 17, 2025

Paris Air Show history

The Paris Air Show is a biennial trade fair and air show that takes place in odd-numbered years at the Paris–Le Bourget Airport in France. It is organised by the Groupement des industries françaises aéronautiques et spatiales (GIFAS), the principal representative body of the French aerospace industry.

This event is recognised as the largest air show and aerospace industry exhibition globally, based on the number of exhibitors and the size of the exhibit space, with the UK's Farnborough Air Show, Dubai Air Show, and Singapore Airshow following behind in scale.

Initially held in 1909, the Paris Air Show has occurred every odd year from 1949 until 2019, when the 53rd edition attracted 2,453 exhibitors from 49 nations and utilised over 125,000 square meters of space. The 2021 show was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic, but it resumed in 2023.

This extensive trade fair showcases both military and civilian aircraft and is frequented by numerous military forces and leading aircraft manufacturers, who often announce significant aircraft sales during the event. The show begins with four days dedicated to professionals before opening to the general public from Friday to Sunday. Its format is akin to that of the Farnborough and ILA Berlin Air Shows, which are held in even-numbered years.

The inaugural Salon de la locomotion aérienne took place in 1909 at the Grand Palais in Paris. The Paris Air Show's origins can be traced back to 1908, when a segment of the Paris Motor Show was allocated to aviation. The subsequent year, a dedicated air show was conducted at the Grand Palais from September 25 to October 17, attracting 100,000 visitors who came to witness the products and innovations presented by 380 exhibitors.

There were four additional shows before the onset of the First World War. The event resumed in 1919 and transitioned to a biennial schedule starting in 1924, which was again interrupted by the Second World War. It recommenced in 1946 and has been held every odd year since 1949.

The air show persisted at the Grand Palais. Beginning in 1949, aerial demonstrations were conducted at Paris Orly Airport. In 1953, the event was moved from the Grand Palais to Le Bourget. During the 1960s, the show began to attract international attention. Since the 1970s, it has become the primary international benchmark for the aeronautical industry.