Spotlight: Mideast top defense fair highlights innovation in new era

The biennial International Defense Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) kicked off here on Sunday with special focus on disruptive technology.

Themed "Disruptive Innovation in Defense and Security Technology," the 13th edition of the five-day event attracts 1,235 firms from 57 countries, according to the organizer Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC).

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, as well as Omar Al-Bashir, the President of Sudan, attended the opening ceremony.

The use of drones, robots and digital solutions rose to a global phenomenon among armies across the globe which has led defense firms to develop new solutions in order to bring disruptive technologies, theme of the fair, to the next level.

Eli Airborne Solutions from Estonia demonstrates at the fair its multi-rotor Elix-XL, which according to the producer can be used for exterior reconnaissance flights after "a few hours of training."

German defense giant Rheinmetall, the 10th biggest producer of military hardware in Europe, showcases for the first time in the Middle East Panoview, a pair of 3D-glasses which equip the commander of a tank with a quasi-robotic eye so that he can look around the vehicle without climbing on the turret of the tank and being exposed to direct enemy fire on.

"The French army is undergoing a major technical upgrade," Major Laure Barbeau told Xinhua. "Under the 'Au Contact' modernization scheme, the French army tanks Scorpion, Jaguar and Leclerc will be modernized by 2020 with digitalization technology in order to produce a tactical effect on the terrain while against enemies."

"Disruptive technology and its impact should be understood and monitored by all military branches of service, because the technology leads to the rise of cyber warfare," Mohammed Al-Bowardi, UAE Minister of State for Defense said Saturday.

Rheinmetall has developed a new cyber network security solution. "Our new system called 'cyel equilibrium' can't be hacked because these systems permanently change the IP-address, so that hackers have no static entry point," claimed Oliver Hoffman, spokesman with Rheinmetall.

Protection of military sensitive data is also in the focus of United States-based firm DRS Technologies which said earlier in the day it has been awarded an initial five-year contract worth 9.3 million U.S. dollars by the U.S. Navy "for updated communications systems that allow ship commanders to securely share real-time tactical data information."

UAE's Siham Al Khaleek Technology and Italy's Leonardo MBDA showcased IDEX Siham3, a UAE-made standalone anti-air and anti-surface weapon system which according to both firms "will allow for a significant reduction in the ship's installation requirement" based on a single mounted system.

Meanwhile, state-of-the-art defense equipment covering all military sectors are being showcased here by renowned global giants including Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, Airbus and Safran.

Covering nearly 1,500 square meters, China Defense pavilion is composed of eight leading domestic military manufacturers, such as NORINCO and Poly Technologies, exhibiting Chinese tanks, artilleries, UAVs, submarines, frigates, laser weapons and missiles.

Dai Ning, Deputy General Manager of Poly Technologies, said the company brought here defense equipment of "new concept in new era," adapted to higher standard of modern time and future.

"The Middle East suffers from turmoil over the past years," he said. "Our major goal in the region is to help stabilize society, especially help eradicate terrorism."

He specially introduced a laser weapon system called "Silent Hunter," world's third such kind after the U.S. and Germany, saying the rapidly development and usage of UAVs have been posing threats to national security, and the system was designed to destroy aircraft, particularly UAVs.

"UAV intrusion repeatedly occurred worldwide, even at the White House, making it urgent to speed up the research and development of deterrent weapons," he stressed. "After the debut exhibition last year in South Africa, we have upgraded the laser system's functions with larger power and higher accuracy."

Zhao Xiaopeng, Deputy Director of Tech Department in NORINCO, said that his company has been showing best weapons at the IDEX to attract more cooperation partners, with VT-4 main battle tank and PLZ-52 self-propelled howitzer as star products at the ongoing fair.

"The Mideast tops the destination list of the world defense equipment trading," he said. "If we can explore the market here, it will benefit us to explore the entire global market."

This year's fair will last from Sunday to Thursday, and to be open for public since Monday. The first day's trading volume of military equipment stood at 4.42 billion dirham (1.2 billion dollars), according to the ADNEC.

The last IDEX in 2015 saw over 100,000 visitors flocking into this biggest military fair and exhibition in the Middle East while deals worth 18.3 billion dirham (4.98 billion U.S. dollars) were sealed. Endit