US Raptor to star at Dubai Air show

Ivan Gale

• Last Updated: October 06. 2009 7:34PM UAE / October 6. 2009 3:34PM GMT

The most advanced fighter in the US arsenal, the Raptor, seen here in Japan, will fly at the Dubai Air Show next month. Yuriko Nakao / Reuters

The newest and most advanced US fighter jet, the F-22 Raptor, will become one of the showpiece aircraft to take flight at the Dubai Airshow next month, organisers said.

Lockheed Martin’s fifth-generation jet will be joined by 10 other aircraft on display from the US department of defence, including the F-16 fighter and the B1 Bomber. They will be joined by Dassault’s Rafale, which is being considered by the UAE Armed Forces.

The Dubai Airshow, the third-largest such event, runs from November 15 to 19 at the Dubai Airport Expo, near Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport.

Military jets might be crowd pleasers, but civil aircraft orders have traditionally dominated the show and this year this is expected to be no exception even with the global recession, said Allison Weller, the director of F&E Aerospace, the organiser of the show.

As an indicator of possible sales activity, Airbus and Boeing have scheduled 10 press conferences at the show, roughly the same as in the weeks leading up to the previous show, in 2007, she said.

F&E also expects a 10 per cent rise in visitors, to 50,000, over the five-day event, and for exhibitors, to 900. “The story is that Dubai Airshow continues to grow. However, we are not immune from the downturn and the growth has slowed [from previous forecasts],” she said.

One of the largest exhibitors this year will be Mubadala Development of Abu Dhabi.





igale@thenational.ae