A much-anticipated highlight of the 54th Paris Air Show this summer will be the return of Apollo 16 Lunar Module Pilot, Brigadier General Charlie Duke, USAF (Ret), as a goodwill ambassador of the USA Partnership Pavilion and the Astronaut Al Worden Endeavour Scholarship. Duke will be joined by former French Astronaut-Cosmonaut Général de Brigade Jean-Loup Chretien, Armée de l'Air (Ret); former NASA astronaut, Col. Michael J. Bloomfield, USAF (Ret); and Endeavour program founder, USA Partnership Pavilion organizer Tom Kallman, to announce the host country’s first scholarship recipients of a week-long, hands-on astronaut training experience at Space Camp in Huntsville, AL later this summer. Kallman launched the Endeavour program during the 53rd edition of the show in 2019 with Duke and fellow astronauts Walt Cunningham (Apollo 7) and scholarship namesake Al Worden (Apollo 15) in recognition of Worden’s lifetime commitment to promoting science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. Since then, with the support of global partners in government, industry, and academia, the program has navigated the pandemic to award scholarships to 32 students and 8 educators representing the United Arab Emirates, Chile, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

Aviation and aerospace leaders expect a historic showing of U.S. industry at this year’s Paris Air Show. Some 400 of the country’s leading OEMs and suppliers, the largest national presence ever, are slated to exhibit at the show’s Le Bourget Parc des Expositions site, 19-25 June. Of those, more than 300 will be located in the 6,500 sqm USA Partnership Pavilion in Hall 3, organized for the 15th edition by Kallman Worldwide. More than half of Pavilion exhibitors are small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with fewer than 500 employees, reflecting the growing value and importance of these companies to the global supply chain, said Kallman Worldwide President and CEO, Tom Kallman. “SMEs are heroes of America’s export economy, and we work hard to make sure the Pavilion works for them. For example, long before they hit the show floor, we coordinate with the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Defense, State, Transportation, and the U.S. Small Business Administration, to help ensure our SME exhibitors have the funding, market intelligence, and logistical support they need to compete and win at Le Bourget,” Kallman said. The U.S. Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), a partner of the USA Partnership Pavilion with 29 association member companies on board as exhibitors, is a leading advocate for the critical role SMEs play in America’s economy and national security. “AIA’s participation in the USA Partnership Pavilion at Paris underscores our commitment to engage with worldwide beneficiaries of American civil aviation, space, and defense products,” said AIA President and CEO Eric Fanning. "The Pavilion also provides us the opportunity to highlight that small- and medium-sized companies in the supply chain represent more than half of the value of all U.S. aerospace and defense exports, reaching more than 200 countries. They are our industry’s and our country’s essential exporters.” Several special interest areas within the Pavilion will further sharpen the focus on SMEs. Seventeen state departments of economic development and commerce will host their own state-branded pavilions featuring state-based small businesses. A new “Made in the USA” SME Zone, created in collaboration with State International Development Organizations (SIDO), will feature 18 companies representing seven states. SIDO is the only national organization focused on supporting governors’ international trade agendas by serving and representing the 50 state trade agencies to the federal government. Sixteen U.S. based start-up companies will participate in the show's "Start-Me-Up Zone," a program introduced by organizers SIAE in 2019 to help qualifying startups stretch their show budgets. “The SIDO “Made in the USA” SME Zone provides a unique platform for states and businesses to participate in one of the most important international trade shows in the world,” said Andy Karellas, Executive Director at SIDO. “SMEs can collaborate and utilize our resources to execute their international sales and grow U.S. exports. We are honored to partner with Kallman Worldwide on this event.”