The International Defense Exhibitions ‘IDEX’ and the Naval Defense Exhibition ‘NAVDEX’ took place February 23-25, 2021 in Abu Dhabi, with the participation of more than 900 companies from 59 countries, 5 countries of which joined for the first time. This global event hosted the most prominent defense exhibitions globally, specialized in land and maritime defense as well as various military specialties in the Middle East and North Africa. Throughout the three days, the two exhibitions succeeded in signing deals worth nearly 18 billion dirhams.

Extensive Presence:

The most prominent features of the participants in the ‘IDEX’ and ‘NAVDE’ exhibitions are the following:

1-    Active representation of UAE companies:

144 Emirati companies participated in the two exhibitions, comprising 16% of the total participants.  One of the leading companies was the Emirati EDGE Group, an advanced technology group for developing creative solutions in the defense field, which includes more than 25 subsidiaries. The group focuses on facilities and systems, electronic defense, missiles and weapons, electronic warfare and intelligence, as well as mission support. According to the latest reports of the Stockholm Peace Research Institute, ‘Sipri’, ‘Edge’ is one of the best global companies in military industries, with about 1.3% of the total arms sales in the world, which amount to $ 361 billion.

Another prominent participant is the Abu Dhabi Aviation Company (ADA), the largest commercial helicopter operator in the Middle East, as well as ‘AL Jassor’, which provides a variety of fast and varied military vehicles, the most famous of which is the ‘Rabda’ amphibious armored vehicle. Also, ‘Al-Tariq’ company participated, which specializes in the manufacture of precision-guided air munitions, as well as Abu Dhabi Autonomous Systems Investment Company (ADASI), which specializes in developing and producing unmanned systems, Al-enabled drones and collecting information.  Another participant was ‘Yahsat’, one of the leading operators of fixed and mobile satellite services globally, in addition to the Abu Dhabi Ship Building Company (ADSB), which is specialized in building and maintaining warships and commercial ships.

2-    A great US participation:

US companies are keen to participate regularly in ‘IDEX’ and ‘NAVDE’. Of the most prominent US participants in the current event is ‘AM General’, which displays the ‘NXT 360’, a next generation light tactical vehicle, as well as Arcturus UAV, Inc. , which manufactures the JUMP-20 UAV, a vertical take-off and landing aircraft for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. The attendees also included ‘Arnold Defense’, the world's leading designer and manufacturer of 70mm rocket launcher systems. In addition, Boeing also was present, the global leader in commercial aircraft, defense, space and security systems.

3-    Diverse European participation: 

The two exhibitions were of great interest to European companies, especially French, British, Italian and Spanish companies. Portuguese companies were also keen to participate for the first time.  Among the most prominent French companies participating were: ‘ARQUUS, Inc.’, ‘CILAS, Inc.’ as well as ‘Naval Group’, which is also a leading European company in the marine industry. This came in addition to the participation of the British company ‘BAE System’, the Spanish company ‘Navantia SA, SME’, and the Italian company ‘Fincantieri Spa’ , a leading company in the manufacture and maintenance of ships and marine facilities.

4-    A significant Chinese, Russian and Korean presence:

Both exhibitions witnessed the presence of a number of Chinese and Russian companies. The ‘China National Corporation for Import and Export of Precision Machinery’ (CPMIEC) was present. It is a major channel licensed by the Chinese government to import and export high-tech products for China Aerospace, which is mainly active in the field of export and import of defense systems, as well as satellite technology, space technology equipment, specialized vehicles, and precision machines. ‘KIA’ also participated in this year's IDEX exhibition, displaying a number of light tactical military vehicles.

Russia had an extensive participation, where the Russian pavilion occupied more than 1,200 square meters, with a broad range of Russian products from various companies The most prominent of which, is the Pantsir S1M missile system, which is shown for the first time and is reported to have had a major role in the Syrian war, in addition to advanced models of ‘S-400’and ‘Su-35’" aircraft. Kalashnikov also provided  a wide range of small arms.

5-    A remarkable Arab presence:

A group of Arab countries were keen to participate in this event, perhaps the most prominent of which, are the ‘Egyptian military production companies’ and the ‘Arab Organization for Industrialization’, which exhibited a wide range of products, most notably the ‘ST100’ and ‘ST500’ military armored vehicles, the Crocodile armored vehicle, and the Ka-8 aircraft. Saudi Arabia's interest in the exhibition was quite remarkable. The Saudi pavilion included 12 Saudi companies specialized in the field of defense and security industries, particularly the ‘Saudi Company for Military Industries’ (SAMI) , through the participation and organization of the Saudi General Authority for Military Industries and the Saudi Ministry of Investment. Some Jordanian companies were also keen to participate, such as the ‘Jordanian Investment Group’ (JIG) .

A Consolidation of Achievements:

There are noticeable accomplishments  and triumphs resulting of the organization of  ‘IDEX’ and ‘NAVDEX’ such as:

1-    Emirati endeavors to diversify the national economy:

The UAE’s continued organization of these two exhibitions indicates the country's attempts to convert defense expenditure into an additional economic resource, as part of its efforts to diversify the national economy. This is also evident in Abu Dhabi’s launching a number of projects and initiatives in this context. It should be noted that during the first and second days of the two exhibitions, the total value of the deals announced amounted to about 12.3 billion dirhams.

2-    Reinforcing UAE's position on the defense industries map: 

The UAE’s continued organization of ‘IDEX’ and ‘NAVDEX’ exhibitions since their launching in 1993 indicates Emirati ambitious endeavors to enhance its international position on the defense industries map, in addition to demonstrating the UAE's organizational capabilities even amidst the current exceptional circumstances.

3-    Superior organizational ability under extraordinary circumstances: 

Both exhibitions were held on their scheduled dates, with the participation of several companies and foreign delegations, despite the pandemic circumstances, and despite the lockdown measures adopted by several countries of the world. This indicates the UAE's insistence on quickly restoring normal life during the recovery from the pandemic, as well as the great confidence in the UAE health sector, and the precautionary measures adopted to ensure the safety of the attendees.

4-    Arab endeavors to localize defense industries: 

The significant presence of some Arab countries, such as Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, indicates these countries’ keenness to foster and localize defense industries, by utilizing the latest global technology, in addition to establishing strategic partnerships with major defense companies in the world. 

5-    Strong presence of marine defense and technology companies: 

Many companies were remarkably interested in ‘NAVDEX’, which is one of the largest events relevant to the defense and maritime security industries in the Middle East and North Africa. 17 maritime units from 10 countries around the world were in the exhibition this year: UAE, Bahrain, Italy, USA, Britain, Bangladesh, South Africa, India, Pakistan, and Greece. These unit vary between mine sweepers, supply and landing ships, missile boats, patrol boats, in addition to the latest technologies used in coastal security and maritime communications.

Interestingly, there were many technology companies, particularly those specialized in electronic warfare systems and modern defense technologies based on artificial intelligence, sensor systems and advanced electronics, in addition to cybersecurity companies and others.

In general, the extensive participation in IDEX and NAVDEX in Abu Dhabi indicates the great significance of these two exhibitions. They also reflect serious Arab endeavors to localize defense industries and establish more strategic partnerships with major defense companies, as well as the pursuit to keep pace with the latest technology of future wars. This also reflects the Emirati pursuits to pioneer in reshaping the defense industries map, particularly in the Middle East region.