Showing itself in its new guise for the first time at Farnborough International, BAE Systems has included a Partnership Village as a self-portrait highlighting programs the company is undertaking with international partners and customers.

The village -- at 12,000 square meters the largest single company exhibition site in Europe -- covers a range of products between the Eurofighter at one end to the Royal Saudi Arabian Air Force Hawk at the other. Products showcased include military and commercial aircraft, naval and land systems, space programs and guided weapons.

Underlying the BAE Systems' claim to be a global company is the employment of 10,000 people in nine home markets. The company's representation in the U.S., one of the largest, will grow if its purchase of two Lockheed Martin business units is approved. BAE Systems is also involved in 47 joint ventures and partnerships.

Separate display space has been set aside inside the compound for some of the joint ventures with which BAE Systems is affiliated, including the munitions house of Matra BAe Dynamics and Alenia Marconi Systems. Airbus UK and Saab with the Gripen also feature.

Although much of the exhibit focuses on existing programs, space is also made for futuristic concepts, for example BAE Systems' concept for the UK's Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft.

Static displays in the area include the Saudi Arabian Hawk flown in by a Saudi aircrew, and replicas of the Gripen and Eurofighter. A host of weapons is being shown, including the Storm Shadow cruise missile, the Brimstone anti-armor weapon, and the ASRAAM short-range air-to-air missile.

One of the growth areas for the company, underlined by the recent decision to buy Lockheed Martin's Sanders unit, is electronic systems. That emphasis also is prominently represented with moving image displays of self-protection, communications, and targeting devices, as well as other ancillary hardware and operations management tools.

By Robert Wall