ATHENS — A total of 32 US defence industry firms will be exhibiting in the USA pavilion at Defence Exhibition Athens (DEFEA) 2021, an international defence and security exhibition which is taking place at the Metropolitan Exhibition Centre in Spata on July 13-15. The pavilion is organised by the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce with the support of the US Embassy in Greece.

According to an announcement by the chamber, the exhibits will include a UK-60 Blackhawk helicopter, an AH-64E Apache helicopter and three vehicles – a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), a M11117 Armored Security Vehicle (ASV) and a Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) cargo truck (M1078). In addition, within the area of the airport, a Beechcraft King Air 350ER aircraft (with full Airborne Surveillance capabilities) and a Cessna Citation Latitude (number one best-selling midsize jet) will be on display.

The USA Pavilion will be inaugurated on Tuesday at 13:00 in Hall 4 of the Metropolitan Exhibition Centre, with the participation of US Ambassador in Athens Geoffrey Pyatt and Heidi Grant, Director of the Defence Security Cooperation Agency, and the President of the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce Nikolaos Bakatselos. Also invited to attend the opening is Greek National Defence Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos.

The pavilion's programme includes a reception on Wednesday at 19:00 at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, to be addressed by Pyatt, Grant and Bakatselos and attended by Elizabeth Wilson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Defense Exports and Cooperation, Major General Joe Jarrard, Deputy Commanding General for Army National Guard, exhibitors at the USA Pavilion, representatives of the armed forces in Greece and the Greek government.

There will also be a varied programme of parallel events, including panel discussions on defence and security issues at a ministerial level, special workshops on the prospects of the Greek defence industry and a workshop on promoting the competitive European defence technological and industrial base in the framework of EU defence initiatives.