The fourth edition of Sofins will be held from April 2 to 4, 2019 at the Camp de Souge military base, near Bordeaux. Unique in Europe, this seminar offers an unequalled opportunity for manufacturers to meet and discuss their solutions with special forces. The mission embraced by its organizer “Cercle de l’Arbalète” is to raise the profile of special operations by celebrating and nurturing the innovative spirit of micro-enterprises, SMEs and large industrial groups working in this area.
Live demo at SOFINS 2017 (Picture source: Army Recognition)
This seminar is the culmination of the efforts brought to bear throughout the year by Cercle de l’Arbalète members through meetings and R&D workshops on various topics. At Camp de Souge, meetings, presentations and product talks, R&D workshops, and dynamic tests of equipment under real and almost real operating conditions allow special forces to try out the new technologies being developed by manufacturers to meet the demands of special operations.
Sofins is a forum for exchanges about tomorrow’s technical challenges. Along these lines, Arbalète Lab, a popular feature introduced at the last edition, is being offered again at Sofins 2019. This space within the exhibition structure is reserved for the startups selected by the Cercle de l’Arbalète to present their innovations to special forces.
About 50 delegations and 236 exhibitors coming from various parts of the world (but mainly French) are expected to participate or attend the event, mainly involved in the special operations and intervention sectors.
The 2019 edition of SOFINS will offer its thousands of expected visitors 11 test zones where a wide array of special operation and security equipment will be demonstrated in skilfully simulated operational conditions. These dynamic demonstrations will be broadcasted on a very large screen mounted in the exhibitors’ tent.
The French COS (Commandement des Opérations spéciales, Special Operations Command) will perform several dynamic demonstrations of its current potential.
“The success of the first three editions of Sofins shows just how much the rapid evolution of threats calls for new technological solutions to meet the challenges encountered by special forces on the ground. (…) Let us all abide by the famous special forces motto, Who Dares Wins.”! », Benoit de Saint Sernin, President of the Cercle de l’Arbalète, said.
