Tanks, rifles, submarines to vie for eyeballs at Abu Dhabi expo

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Abu Dhabi - Israel, North Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, and Portugal will be participating for the first time.

Published: Sat 20 Feb 2021, 9:41 PM

Abu Dhabi is flaunting defence machineries as it hosts the first major exhibition since the pandemic hit the globe. More than 900 companies from 59 countries will be exhibiting armoured vehicles, assault rifles, submarines, sophisticated technologies and equipment as the five-day International Defence Exhibition and the Naval Defence Exhibition starts today.

Israel, North Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, and Portugal will be participating for the first time. More than 70,000 visitors are expected during the five days of the mega event at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Company, where defence deals worth millions will be finalised.

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And over the next few days, there will be lots of product launches and announcements too. There is the global debut of the Kalashnikov Group’s AK-19 assault rifle. Airbus will showcase a wide range of cutting-edge technologies, capabilities and solutions from Airbus Defence and Space and Airbus Helicopters.

Nimr, manufacturer of combat-proven wheeled military vehicles, will be among the 16 per cent home-based entities. Nimr is set to unveil the second-generation of its Ajban 4x4 and Hafeet 6x6 platforms. Saab, a defence and security company in the UAE, will reveal its first locally developed product, a rugged camera module, infrared.

Separately, the naval expo will welcome more than 70 exhibitors from 16 countries. Over 17 naval units and vessels will participate at the conference from 10 nations. Naval ships and equipment will be on display at the pier of Adnec Marina.

The event’s organising committee has implemented the highest standard of safety measures for all. Everyone needs to have a negative PCR test to enter the facility. In addition, social distancing measures and the wearing of masks is mandatory.

ashwani@khaleejtimes.com