A Melbourne air show is being promoted as a family event, hiding the dark truth behind its glorification of death and mass destruction, writesDave Sweeney.

IN THE MISTS of legend, Avalon was a place of mysticism and magic linked with the once and future King Arthur and carrying the scent of sorcery and whispers of the Holy Grail.

This week, the sorcery is back with a showcase of the dark arts of industrial warfare and the Holy Grail of unfettered armaments profits on full display at Melbournes other airport.

Located around 60 kilometres from Melbourne down the Geelong road, Avalon Airport is home to someJetstaroperations, but it has a long-standing military connection since the strip was first used by federal agencies 70 years ago for the development of theRAAFs Canberra bomber.

These days, alternate years see the windswept paddocks between thenearbyopen range zooand the closed range prison complex host a family feel good celebration of technology that makes many families in other parts of the world feel bad or cease feeling altogether.

The Avalon Airshow is little more than a military bonanza used to fuel occasions like Defence Minister Richard Marles' recent speech, pushing for more engagement with the defence industry.

TheAustralian International Air Show and Exhibitionis a place for family fun, and with the exciting new food vendors andfree carnival rides for children young and old, you are set for a day out with the family that's not to be missed!

The Air Show has two parts one Circus, where weekend crowds can get right up close to feel the rumble and smell the jet fuel and one Bread, a closed-door, dollar-driven weapons and technology trade show and networking opportunity.

In a set play from the global textbook of normalising deeply distressing and dangerous practices, the event seeks to braid together war fighting and arms trading with civil aeronautical seminars and emergency response displays.

But the principal public face is a high-octane aerial spectacle and parade of power without glory and context.

Australianmanufacturingplays a growing role in the global arms trade, including an essential role in keeping theIsraeli Defence ForcesF-35 fighters in the air.

According toAmnesty International, Australian-manufactured parts and components, including those produced by sole-source providers, are being used in F-35 fighter jets, raising serious concerns about Australias potential involvement in the atrocities in Gaza.

Earlier this year, over 230 global civil society organisations urged governments producing F-35 fighter jets to immediately halt all arms transfers to Israel.

F-35s, the weapons that have caused such destruction in Gaza, will be in the air at Avalon. For civilian populations on the receiving end, they are objects of terror and loathing, but the Air Show'swebsitebegs to differ: The F-35A Lightning II isnt just advanced its packed with record-breaking fun facts!

Lockheed Martin has deleted from its website details about Australias key role in building F-35 fighter jets, which Israel is using to bomb Gaza.

This family fun promotion is worlds away from many other peoples experience of the sky as a hostile space that threatens rapid, remote and remorseless destruction and death.

For most of us, the closest we get to this all too common global reality is TV news footage of wailing sirens and survivors amid the rubble.

The reality of what these machines actually do is not likely to be publicly canvassed at the Air Show but will no doubt be a marketing point as demonstrated in the field in the exhibition sheds and over networking drinks.

Event sponsors and supporters include federal and state governments, theAustralian Strategic Policy Instituteand Defence, along with a whos-who of arms corporations and nuclear weapons heavyweights.

BAE,GE AerospaceandRaytheonwill joinLockheed Martin,Northrop Grummanand more in giving away show bagsand swapping badged pens, sweets, lanyards and notebooks in an effort to elevate your brand to thousands of attendees.

The guest list has tentacles around the world, as evidenced byAmentum, an innocuous sounding outfit with fingerprints overPine Gap, military and civil radioactive waste management in the U.S. and UK and a growing interest in future radioactive waste plans in the Northern Territory.

But none of this is reflected in an event website full of happy family pics, tips on where to park and footage of enraptured kids gazing skywards.

There will be public service announcements reminding folks to slip, slop, slap and stay hydrated and no doubt car conversations on the way home featuring excited chatter about the noise, the power and the cool merch.

But what is likely to be missing and not by accident is any serious conversation about Australias role and responsibilities and whether our nation prioritises building a human and humane peace or getting a piece of the armaments action and conflict cash in an increasingly uncertain world.

Dave Sweeneyis theAustralian Conservation Foundation'snuclear-free campaigner and was a founding member ofICAN. You can follow him@nukedavesweeney.