News

2019-12-05

A Show Like No Other

The Dubai Airshow 2019 ended on a high note surpassing expectations in terms of attendance, number of visitors and the value of deals signed, establishing once again that the event is one of the best of its kind the world over.

More than 1,288 exhibitors took part in the show which attracted 84,043 trade visitors. When the show ended, US$54.5 billion worth of business had been concluded, of which 51 deals worth over AED 18 million were signed by the UAE Ministry of Defence.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, opened the show. Also present at the opening of the five-day event were H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai; H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs; H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, and Chairman of the events organising committee besides a number of other senior officials.

The airshow opening has always been spectacular, more so this time with the Emirates A380 soaring into the skies in the flypast procession, marking the launch of the event. Three Chinook, three Black Hawk and three Apache helicopters, opened the way for the Emirates A380, closely followed by the UAE’s air display team, Al Fursan, set in an arrow formation offering a spellbinding sight for aviation enthusiasts and thousands of other spectators. Another highlight of the event was the static display that featured as many as 161 aircraft.

With new companies coming to the show every year, the number of exhibitors this year went up by almost 10 per cent, underscoring the increasing popularity of the event. One hundred new firms mostly from defence, ATC, maintenance and supply fields made their Dubai Airshow debut this year. The dedicated feature pavilions for Space, Cargo and Global Air Traffic Management (GATM) also attracted fresh entrants hoping to cash in on the growing aerospace market.

Making its debut this year was UAE’s EDGE, a group comprising 25 local entities working in five aerospace capability clusters, which launched shortly before the show. Among the firms under the EDGE umbrella is Al-Tariq, and its CEO Theunis Botha said: “EDGE has been very well received. We have been very busy and have been inundated with requests and interest from several friendly nations around us.”

On the first day of the show itself, Canada’s first-time exhibitor Searidge Technologies, a technology innovator providing Remote Tower and Digital Airport solutions, was selected by Airservices Australia for an initial prototype at Sydney Airport.

Neil Bowles, Searidge’s Head of Air Traffic Management, said: “The number of visitors has been fantastic including many aviation professionals interested in what our digital tower offering really is. We’ve had so many meetings with new potential opportunities.”

In the Space Pavilion, Ukraine-based lunar and space technology firm Yuzhnoye Design Office said it was delighted to be making its debut in a year in which space exploration was taking the spotlight. “I hope our company can do something together with the UAE in space, and in the lunar programme,” said the company’s General Director, Alexander Degtyarev.

Saudi Arabia’s The Helicopter Company and Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI), UAE’s Kingsbury and Airports World Company, Taiwan’s Smart Frequency, and Korea Defence Industry Association, as well as dozens of others were among the other debutants.

The Helicopter Company was also a key event sponsor. CEO Yahya Homoud Alghoraibi said: “We have done more than we expected, we have met and had discussions with a lot of companies and we have seen a lot of customers and shown our aircraft to many people as well, so we are very happy with what has taken place.”

Boeing and Embraer announced the launch of a joint venture to produce the multi-role airlifter C-390 Millennium, underlining the airshow’s significance at the regional and international levels. Michele van Akelijen, Managing Director of show organisers Tarsus F&E LLC Middle East, said: “From the biggest companies in the aerospace field to those just starting out, Dubai Airshow offers a unique environment for building business relationships.”

Elsewhere, a host of speciality conferences offering industry-specific keynotes, Q&A sessions and networking opportunities attracted an impressive collection of professionals. Set across two days, the Global Air Traffic Management (GATM) conference took a close look into the future of traffic control, with virtual towers proving to be a particularly hot topic. Cargo Connect, a show within the show, focused on the air freight industry, with data sharing across both geographical and business boundaries being a key focus.

For the first time in 2019, a growing focus on space exploration regionally was recognised with its own conference programme, opening with ‘Women in Space,’ hosted by the UAE Space Agency and featuring speakers from the UN and Boeing, among others.

Aimed at examining the key role that female scientists, researchers, engineers and astronauts will play in the future of the global space industry, the conference proved a huge draw. European Space Agency’s former astronaut Claudie Haigneré said she found the level of engagement very encouraging. “I felt that really something is going on here, and I’ve been really impressed because this shows a real possibility for change. The new generation coming up here is so refreshing.”

Another conference highlight was Space Tech Talks that looked in-depth at the technological advancements needed for the next generation of space exploration and the impact they are expected to have on the wider world.

Exhibits ranging from Dubai Police’s new flying bike for hard-to-reach emergencies to new products in the medevac field through to the first commercial space flight suits from Virgin Galactic were all on show.

AMMROC Excited about New Al Ain Facility

AMMROC, a key participant, is currently in the final stages of completing a modern facility strategically located in a one square kilometre area near Al Ain International Airport. The facility will be a one-stop-shop supporting over 35 aircraft types, both fixed and rotary wing platforms, for the UAE and regional markets.

“While we have been concentrating on fulfilling our obligations to our UAE customers during the past few years, our grand opening in Al Ain during the first half of 2020 means we will be open to the world,” said Tim German, AMMROC’s Chief Commercial Officer (CCO).

As part of the latest MRO set-up, the new facility incorporates four multi-purpose hangars, over 30 back shops and a dedicated environmentally controlled paint facility.

BAE Steals the Show with Laser Guided Rockets

BAE Systems exhibited several of its next-gen air technologies and solutions at the show. The APKWS laser-guided rockets produced by BAE Systems are sought by nations worldwide as they provide warfighters with a low-cost precision strike capability and are easy to integrate on different platforms, said Marc Casseres, Director of Precision Guidance and Sensing Solutions at BAE Systems.

“Many countries seek this capability as the alternatives are either unguided rockets that miss targets or anti-tank munitions that overkill many targets and are bulky and heavy, limiting the number of strikes per mission,” he said. Unguided rockets and larger anti-tank munitions increase the risk of collateral damage.

BAE Systems also demonstrated ground-launched APKWS rocket capabilities without any changes to APKWS hardware or software. Other displays from the company included the LiteHUD head-up display (HUD) and the Striker II helmet-mounted disHawk Advanced Jet Trainer, one of the world’s most successful and proven military aircraft trainers with operational capability. Complementing the aircraft, BAE Systems offers world-class training services.

Collins Aerospace Shows off Actuation Systems

Collins Actuation, one of the largest providers of actuation systems in the aerospace market, presented its leading aerospace and defence innovations for ministries of defence, integrators, aircraft manufacturers, airlines and other customers in the region.

Edward Dryden, Vice President Actuation Systems, Mechanical Systems at Collins Aerospace said, “We have successfully demonstrated our capability to provide highly competitive and integrated solutions to OEMs like Airbus. We also see potential growth with other OEMs. Our objective is to continue to serve our customers in the region with the highest standards of operational excellence and help them in their future growth with the most innovative and trusted solutions and services.”

Raytheon Highlights Counter UAS Solutions

Small drones are quickly evolving from harmless gadgets to weaponised unmanned aircraft systems (UASs). In fact, drone technology is expected to advance further, and experts warn about autonomous drones that are less susceptible to jamming.

Evan M. Hunt, Strategy & Business Development, High Energy Laser said that drones are being increasingly militarised, and they can be easily modified to carry lethal weapons, identify targets at long ranges, and carry out electronic warfare (EW) attacks. They are also becoming more and more autonomous.

Besides being less susceptible to jamming, in future, they may have their navigation system. That is where Raytheon’s counter UAS solutions come in. It will be able to identify friendly and enemy drones and engage them accordingly. Raytheon demonstrated the Layered Counter UAS solutions including Howler System, high-energy weapon systems, and anti-jammers at the show.

Elettronica’s SOJ Platform Highlighted

Elettronica Group displayed its technological edge, with a particular focus on the next-generation jammers, at the show. The company presented a turnkey solution for a very high performance Stand Off Jammer (SOJ) Platform.

The SOJ is part of the Electronic Attack & Mutual Protection System (EAMPS) family, which guarantees the EA and Mutual Protection capability to several different platforms, in different arrangements. Its goal is to reduce long-range radar coverage on friendly intruders and consequently delay their engagement, allowing them to enter the enemy area.

Countering highly mobile, coordinated and networked defence systems requires the capability to effectively manage the EM spectrum for both radar and communication waveforms, denying the enemy not only the opportunity of detecting and tracking targets, but also the resources to engage them in a coordinated air defence action. The SOJ platform with the Electronic Order of Battle (EOB) - SIGINT suite, achieves this capability with an accurate and up-to-date awareness of enemy assets characteristics and their deployment.

Mi-38 Boasts Many Innovations

The latest Mi-38 helicopter from the Russian Helicopters Holding Company made its international debut at the show. The rotorcraft was on display at the static exposition and took part in the flight programme.

The design of Mi-38 features a number of innovations including improved aerodynamic contours of the fuselage and cowling of the propulsion unit, main rotor spinners, and the swash plate. Mi-38 can be operated in a wide range of climatic conditions including maritime, tropical and cold climates. The use of unparalleled technical solutions makes it superior to other similar-class helicopters in its load capacity, seating capacity and main performance characteristics.

Another novelty at the show was the business version of the light multi-purpose Ansat helicopter. In this configuration, the helicopter can comfortably transport up to five passengers.

Advanced Remotely Piloted Aircraft

MQ-9B Sky Guardian and the maritime variation Sea Guardian from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) will become one of the most advanced Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) when the first variant will be delivered to the UK Royal Air Force (RAF) as the Protector RG Mk1 in the early 2020s.

Sea Guardian features state-of-the-art sensors that offer ISR capabilities for a wide range of operational and threat environments and is capable of operating at Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) ranges at altitudes over 40,000 feet and in inclement weather conditions. GA-ASI, also displayed its Multi-Mission Control (MMC) and Metis capabilities. Metis enhances communications between supported units, aircrew, and intelligence cells.

The company recently successfully demonstrated MMC and Metis during a live flight using company-owned MQ-9 Block 1 and MQ-9 Block 5 Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) in North Dakota. The flights demonstrated a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 capability and promises applications across military forces and for non-defence missions.

Textron’s High-Performance Aircraft at Static Display

Textron Aviation brands represent innovation, performance and leadership in the general aviation industry. Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defence, and industrial businesses to provide customers innovative solutions and services. At the show, Textron Aviation Defense highlighted their commercial, defence and special mission capabilities with an array of high-performance aircraft within the static display.

Also on show was the Cessna Grand Caravan EX that provides the freedom to reconfigure to meet demands and empowers operators to meet diverse requirements.

Embraer Puts up a Strong Show

Embraer had the largest number of aircraft on static display at the show, which included the debut of the new Praetor 500 business jet in the Middle East. The Praetor 500 business jet was recently certified by FAA and EASA in September.

Visitors also got to see Embraer’s new generation of aircraft KC-390 and E195-E2 for the first time. The Praetor 500 midsize business jet possesses full fly-by-wire and turbulence reduction technologies. According to Embraer, it is also the farthest and fastest-flying midsize jet, capable of flying long routes such as New York to London, London to Dubai, and Jakarta to Tokyo, all non-stop.

Besides, the company also displayed Phenom 300E, a successful business jet with over 500 deliveries. For the defence sector, Embraer showcased its multi-mission airlifter KC-39, the first of which was delivered to Brazilian Air Force in September this year. The company also displayed light attack and counter-insurgency mission capable Super Tucano, which is currently in service with 15 air forces worldwide.

Torpedoes and Missiles from India

Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), an ISO certified enterprise under the Indian Defence Ministry, demonstrated various products at the show. BDL is the only company in India manufacturing various types of missiles and other defence equipment. Its product profile includes Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM), Surface to Air Missiles (SAMs), Air to Air Missiles, Under Water Weapons, Counter Measuring Dispensing Systems, Ground Support Systems and other allied test equipment. BDL has ventured into the export market mostly with torpedoes.

Also on display was Akash, an indigenously developed, all-weather, air defence missile system that can engage multiple threats simultaneously.

The Dubai Airshow will return in 2021, between November 14-18.

Reference Text/Photo:

www.dubaiairshow.aero

Comments () Views (3017 ) Print

Send To Friend