Mideast's top defense fair opens

Eight Chinese companies are showcasing their products

The biennial International Defense Exhibition and Conference kicked off in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Sunday.

Themed "Disruptive Innovation in Defense and Security Technology," the 13th edition of the five-day event has attracted more than 1,200 companies from 57 countries, according to the organizer Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, vice-president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, 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 companies to develop new solutions in order to bring disruptive technologies to the next level.

Eli Airborne Solutions from Estonia demonstrated 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, showcased 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.

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.

"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 on Saturday.

Protection of military sensitive data was also in the focus of the US company DRS Technologies. The company said it had been awarded an initial five-year contract worth $9.3 million by the US 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 companies "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's pavilion is composed of eight leading 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 Middle East suffers from turmoil over the past years. Our major goal in the region is to help stabilize society, especially help eradicate terrorism."

The fair closes on Thursday. On the opening day, deals worth 4.42 billion dirhams ($1.2 billion) were made, according to the orgnizer.