ZHUKOVSKY (Moscow region), August 20 (RIA Novosti) - Zhukovsky, the venue of the MAKS international air show, will host a leading European arms forum, the international defense exposition of land forces on August 2-6, 2006, the head of the Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation said Saturday.

"The upcoming grandiose integrated event will combine an austere and businesslike land forces exhibition with an unforgettable show of an international festival of flight groups," Vladimir Paleshchuk said.

He said that over 6,300 companies from 50 Russian regions, the CIS and foreign countries were invited to the forum.

Austria, Italy, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Greece and Switzerland already signed contracts on the organization of national expositions in Zhukovsky, Paleshchuk said. The United States, Turkey, India, South Korea, South Africa and Germany are also interested.

The forum's program includes demonstrations of armored vehicles and tanks, missile and air defense systems, artillery weapons, aircraft, radiation protection means, etc., Paleshchuk said.