Making its debut as an exhibitor at the air show, Armor China displayed a poster of Hu Jintao, who was the country’s president from 2003 to 2013, riding in a black armored vehicle in front of line of saluting soldiers in Tiananmen Square. “Proudly Produced Vehicle Armor for President of China,” it read.

Armor China, reaching beyond its origins as a parts supplier, began selling a microdrone this year that has a range of up to seven miles and can be used for military or police surveillance, as well as for forestry and agriculture. Because the microdrone has civilian uses, the $20,000 price was publicly advertised.

“All the technology is designed in China,” said Charles Cao, managing director of Armor China. “It’s cheaper to manufacturer in China because a lot of the suppliers are here.”

Drones, which combine aerodynamics and remote-sensing technology, are a fairly new product area, and Chinese companies are near the leading technological edge instead of playing catch-up, as they do in other fields of aviation, experts say.

Norinco, the maker of the Queen Bee anti-tank rocket system, is one of China’s leading arms manufacturers. At the air show, a cavernous display hall was taken up almost entirely by the company. Potential customers — from Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East — wearing red V.I.P. lanyards paraded between the displays, accompanied by Norinco translators and sales staff members explaining equipment specifications.

Like other Chinese arms makers, Norinco benefits from economies of scale that allow it to offer competitive export prices.

“By mass-producing for its internal market, the People’s Liberation Army, Norinco is able to sell its wares on the global market by presenting itself as a cost-friendly alternative — basically the Walmart of ground defense systems for purchasers without a lot of expendable funds and uneager to meet all the political conditions required of a Germany, U.S. or United Kingdom,” said Daniel Darling, who analyzes international military markets at Forecast International, an American market research company.