Some of the biggest names in the global arms industry are in town for Idex, the biennial arms and defence technology sales exhibition, which has grown at a furious rate in the 22 years that it has been around. A few years ago, Jane’s Defence Weekly called it the largest arms exhibition in the region. The description remains valid with every successive Idex. This year, the expo has drawn 1,200 exhibitors – up from 1, 112 in 2013 – from 55 countries.
It is a point of some pride that two hardware items, the Enigma and the Bluebird, were unveiled by two Emirati companies, Emirates Defence Technology (EDT) and Asis Boats respectively. These are locally designed and locally made and are likely to be of international interest. Enigma, an 8x8 armoured vehicle, is the first of its kind to be produced in this country and EDT's chief executive says that sales will be targeted at the wider region, as well as supplying our own Armed Forces, after trials in the summer. Bluebird is an advanced military rigid-hull inflatable boat. Meanwhile, Adcom Systems in Abu Dhabi is again represented at Idex with its drones, which offer military and civilian applications, including in traffic monitoring and search-and-rescue operations. The company has been in business for 26 years.
These projects illustrate the growth, development and modernisation of our defence industry. As Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, pointed out at Idex’s launch, the industry’s growth was a tribute to the vision and work of the President, Sheikh Khalifa. He visualised a time when Emirati companies would be able to compete with major international firms. This would be another facet of the diversification of the economy away from extractive industries and create skilled, high-tech and well-paid jobs for our people.
There are great opportunities to be had in the lucrative defence sector, which is changing with every Idex, in terms of who sells what to whom. In December, Dr Aude Fleurant of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which tabulates data on arms sales, noted that the global share for companies outside North America and western Europe has been increasing since 2005. That is an opportunity and we are well on our way to seizing it.
