News

2023-05-01

Eager Participants Make LAAD 2023 a Resounding Success

The 13th edition of LAAD Defense & Security 2023 Exhibition, which took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from April 11 to 14, proved to be a resounding success, bringing together exhibitors from 44 countries represented by 364 brands that supply equipment, services and technologies from 20 segments of defence and security.

The event saw the participation of 192 official delegations from 71 countries and registered the presence of around 40,000 visitors.

In its first post-pandemic edition, the largest Latin American defence and security event boosted the relationship between national and international players in the market.

According to Sergio Jardim, general director of Creative Events, organiser of LAAD 2023, the success of the event was the result of the combination of qualified visitors, originality of solutions and technologies presented, significant presence of representatives from all spheres of public power, and the armed forces, which made the event the main stage for announcements of federal, state and municipal investments in training and modernisation of the structure of defence and national security.

Minister of Defence, José Múcio Monteiro Filho, highlighted the importance of the event and its ability to establish commercial relationships and interactions that enable the generation of new projects.

The president of ABIMDE, the main Brazilian entity in the defence and security sector, Roberto Gallo, reinforced the importance of the sector as a promoter of social inclusion, income generation and economic and commercial growth for the country.

Exhibitors’ enthusiasm with LAAD’s face-to-face return and the business potential reflected during the four days of the event also contributed to a positive assessment of the dynamics of the show.

Embraer

Embraer celebrated new announcements and presented its products for the sector, including radars and surveillance systems and Embraer’s Defence services and support solutions that cover its entire portfolio.

MBDA

MBDA showcased the company’s unique capacity to provide cutting-edge technological solutions in the area of guided weapons for the armed forces (air, sea, land).

Highlights included the display of the CAMM family of missiles, already contracted by the Brazilian Navy and many other customers, and which is fully compliant with the Brazilian Medium Range/Altitude GBAD Requirements in its CAMM-ER version.

CAMM’s integration in the Tamandaré-class frigates, currently being carried out with local industry, will give Brazil the most advanced naval air defence system on the market.

In the air domain, a highlight was MBDA’s Meteor beyond visual range anti-air missile (BVRAAM) that is unrivalled as a long-range air dominance weapon.

Meteor is MBDA’s ramjet powered and network-enabled beyond visual range air-to-air missile, which is widely recognised as a game changer for air combat. Key to this is Meteor’s throttleable ramjet engine, active radar seeker and datalink that combine to provide unmatched end-game speed and manoeuvrability at greatly extended ranges, resulting in its all-important ‘No-Escape Zone’ being several times greater than any other existing or planned BVR weapons.

Naval Group

Naval Group showcased technologies for modern navies, offering submarines such as the Scorpène, surface ships such as the Gowind corvette and Belharra frigate, mine countermeasure vessels, and unmanned systems expertise.

Naval Group took the opportunity by building on a framework begun in 2009. This was established within the French-Brazilian strategic defence cooperation agreement as the Brazilian Navy chose the Naval Group for its Programa de Desenvolvimento de Submarinos, or the ProSub programme.

The first of four submarines commissioned under this agreement was delivered last year, with the unveiling of the lead Scorpene-class attack submarine, Riachuelo S-40, during a ceremony in Itaguaí, Rio de Janeiro.

Saab Brasil

According to the general director of Saab Brasil, Marianna Silva, the participation in LAAD 2023 was very successful. “It was a pleasure to be back at the event and we were very happy to receive visitors, partners, in addition to the various international delegations during the week,” commented the executive on the innovations presented by the company, such as the MSHORAD system, RBS 70 and fighter Gripen.

“These three attractions sparked great interest from visitors and demonstrated our commitment to developing cutting-edge defence and security solutions.”

Condor

Condor’s Commercial and Institutional Relations director, Luiz Monteiro, stated that LAAD 2023 was the busiest fair he had ever attended in Brazil and the world, emphasising the high level of visits obtained by the company.

“This type of fair is absolutely important so that we can bring our work closer together, which is much more of a partnership than simply selling. And we can only do this face-to-face, when we can gather in a single opportunity the conversation with almost all the customers that matter and show, at once, all the launches. A unique opportunity,” summarised Monteiro.

Companhia Brasileira de Cartuchos

Another company that exceeded expectations in relation to the fair was Companhia Brasileira de Cartuchos (CBC).

According to the company’s Commercial & Marketing director, Paulo Ricardo Gomes, “LAAD 2023 edition proved the leading role of this event in the Defence and Security market.”

For the executive, the company received a higher-than-expected flow of visitors, including international delegations, ambassadors, military attaches from several countries, civilian and military police chiefs, as well as authorities such as the Minister of Defence and Secretaries of Public Security.

“In addition to being an interesting and quality event with regard to institutional sales and exports, it enabled the construction of future large businesses for CBC,” he added.

Celebrating the success of Taurus, one of the most popular stands at the event, Vítor Hugo Cunha, marketing assistant at CBC, stated that the average number of visitors was high and met expectations.

SIATT

The CEO of SIATT, a company specialised in the field of missiles, Rogério Salvador, concluded that the result of the participation exceeded expectations and several contacts were lined up, especially in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.

“I thought the visit of the delegations was much organised. I considered the fair different from the previous ones,” added the executive, who foresees a 10 per cent growth in business with established contacts.

RGT Resgatécnica

RGT Resgatécnica, producer of rescue and rescue equipment, classified the company’s first participation in LAAD as positive. According to Letícia Laboré, foreign trade analyst, “the fair exceeded expectations. We were negotiating with the firefighters in Rio and we also wanted a more military market. We opened a door.” Letícia indicated the company even made contacts with the Austrian government.

Argus

Making its debut at the fair, Argus, a manufacturer of armoured glass, left LAAD optimistic with a view to gaining new customers. “We have contracts lined up with São Paulo and the Northeast. We came to expose and strengthen the brand and, in a way, the result proved positive. We really enjoyed participating in LAAD and there was a lot of exchange of information and prospecting with indirect clients, by referral.”

Quartzo Defense

Quartzo Defense, producer of vests, helmets and goggles with night vision, among other products, is optimistic about attracting new customers.

Commercial consultant Rafael Rodrigues considered the movement at the company’s stand satisfactory, clarifying that he received, on average, 50 customers per day. “Of these 50, I hope to close with 15,” stated Rodrigues.

Aerotech do Brasil

Aerotech do Brasil, which presented several products for the military and private security area, considered the contacts established during the fair to be positive. “It is important to always be at LAAD. There were interested parties in Rio, the Northeast, the North, Roraima, Rondônia and the Amazon. There are always good business prospects,” said business manager Guy Machado.

Country Representation

International companies from countries that set up pavilions at the fair were also visibly elated.

UAE

The UAE was well represented at the mega event. EDGE, one of the world’s leading and fastest growing advanced technology and defence groups, participated for the first time with 10 of its portfolio companies that showcased around 50 advanced solutions and products, covering the domains of autonomous air and land systems, naval systems, precision-guided munitions, small arms and ammunition, and electronic warfare.

Mansour AlMulla, Managing Director and CEO of EDGE, stated: “It was a tremendously proud moment for EDGE as a relatively young company of just over three years. The announcement of our new LATAM regional office in Brasilia at the show was a clear signal of our confidence in markets across the continent and the valuable opportunities they present for international business development, knowledge sharing, and greater prosperity.”

With more than US$5 billion order intake secured during 2022, US$1.2 billion of which was in international exports, EDGE’s global footprint covers 30 countries.

Italy

Italy participated with 11 of its most representative manufacturers of equipment, services and technologies for the aerospace and defence sector through the ITA (Italian Trade Agency), an Italian government agency that promotes Italian products and services abroad and attracts investment.

Fincantieri, Leonardo, Cristallini, Beretta, as well as other companies were also present at the show, totalling 16 Italian representatives at the event.

The Italian participation in LAAD was aimed not only at the Brazilian market, whose budget allocated to investments by the Ministry of Defense was around two billion euros, but also at other important world markets, represented at the event.

According to Ferdinando Fiore, general director for Brazil at ITA, participation in the fair was a great opportunity to highlight the solutions that Italy developed. “Our participation was important to strengthen the commercial relationship between Brazilians and Italians, in addition to establishing business opportunities,” he said.

China

Norinco, a giant of the Chinese defence industry that had official representation in Brazil, also brought equipment exported by the country. The company manufactures vehicles, machinery, optical-electronic products, oil field equipment, chemicals, light industrial products, civil and military explosives and explosive materials, firearms and ammunition.

At LAAD, according to its spokespersons, the company’s objective was to strengthen commercial ties with customers and consolidate commercial relationships with other countries in Latin America and Africa markets to which it already exports.

Turkey

The Turkey Pavilion was attended by 26 companies linked to the defence and security industry of the transcontinental country, located between Europe and Asia. Turkey has made great progress in the defence industry in recent decades, creating expertise in the production of land vehicles, water vehicles, in the aviation and space sector, communications and electronic systems, radars, logistics — much of which is also applicable in the field of education.

According to the representatives of the Turkish government present at LAAD 2023, Latin America is a potential consumer market for technologies for the security and defence area and being present at the fair was of strategic importance for Turkey, which since 2015 had been intensifying the export of its products.

Portugal

The fair also offered a good opportunity to further strengthen relationships with those who were already very close. An example was Portugal, a country with which Brazil had been strengthening trade relations in the defence and security sector since Embraer went to the Portuguese territory in 2012.

Ten small and medium-sized Portuguese companies, mostly in the area of creating software for drones and with communication systems for both the civil and military areas, participated in the Portuguese pavilion at LAAD with the aim of expanding contacts not only with Brazilians but also with other Latin American countries.

The 14th edition of the show is scheduled to be held in Rio de Janeiro from April 1 to 4, 2025 .