News

2025-11-11

Lockheed to Showcase Future of Defence at Dubai Airshow 2025

At Dubai Airshow 2025, Lockheed Martin is set to reaffirm its enduring partnership with the UAE, spotlighting five decades of collaboration and a shared vision for 21st Century Security.

In an exclusive interview with Nation Shield, General John “Mick” Nicholson (Ret.), Chief Executive of Lockheed Martin Middle East, outlines how the company is integrating artificial intelligence, autonomy, and advanced analytics across all domains to equip partners with the tools needed to deter threats and ensure regional stability.

From celebrating key programme milestones— THAAD, F-16, and C-130 — to unveiling platforms like the autonomous U-Hawk helicopter, Lockheed Martin’s presence at the Airshow underscores its commitment to innovation, localisation, and operational readiness.

Nicholson also highlights the company’s support for Emirati talent through the Center for Innovation and Security Solutions (CISS), and previews a dynamic showcase featuring the F-35 Lightning II, immersive simulators, and interactive displays that reflect the future of integrated, data-driven defence.

Dive into the full Q&A below:

What is the central theme for Lockheed Martin at this year’s Dubai Airshow?

Dubai Airshow is one of the world’s premier aerospace events and provides an opportunity to demonstrate how Lockheed Martin continues to advance the capabilities of its partners through innovation. Our theme is ‘Partnering for Security and Prosperity’. It reflects five decades of partnership with the United Arab Emirates and our commitment to deliver 21st Century Security solutions that keep the nation safe, resilient, and ready for the future.

We are integrating advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomy, and analytics across every domain—air, land, sea, space, and cyber—so that our partners have the tools they need to deter threats and maintain stability in an increasingly complex environment.

We are also proud to serve as a Platinum Sponsor of the Dubai International Air Chiefs’ Conference (DIACC), whose theme this year is ‘HYPERSONIC EDGE: Re-Envisioning Airpower Across Asymmetric Spaces’. The conference brings together global air force leaders to discuss interoperability and the evolving role of technology in modern warfare.

In addition, we are celebrating three major milestones in the UAE:

• Ten years of the THAAD programme in the UAE.

• Twenty years of the F-16 Fighting Falcon programme in the UAE.

• Fifty years of the first C-130 Hercules airlifter delivery to the Abu Dhabi Defence Force in 1975.

Artificial Intelligence is playing a greater role in defence. How is Lockheed Martin applying AI to enhance readiness and decision-making?

AI and data are at the heart of 21st Century Security. The speed and complexity of modern warfare demand faster, more informed decisions. AI allows our partners to achieve decision superiority by analysing data at scale, identifying threats earlier, and giving commanders a clearer operational picture.

Our newly unveiled U-Hawk, a fully autonomous utility helicopter developed by Sikorsky, shows how AI-driven autonomy can transform air mobility. Operated remotely through MATRIX technology, the U-Hawk performs take-off, mission, and landing without crew onboard, expanding range, endurance, and payload while keeping people out of harm’s way.

AI is also enhancing our PAC-3 interceptor family, where machine learning enables faster and more adaptive threat analysis and engagement. In parallel, Skunk Works engineers are integrating autonomy and generative AI into future combat aircraft to improve situational awareness and decision support. Together, these programmes show how Lockheed Martin is harnessing AI to accelerate missions, strengthen deterrence, and empower human operators with greater insight and control than ever before.

How does Lockheed Martin support the UAE’s innovation and localisation priorities?

The UAE is an exceptional partner in innovation. Through the Center for Innovation and Security Solutions (CISS) in Masdar City, we have built a talent hub that equips young Emiratis with advanced technical and leadership skills. Since its inception, more than 250 interns have graduated from our programmes, developing projects that apply AI, robotics, and data science to real-world defence challenges.

At this year’s Airshow, CISS interns will demonstrate several of these innovations, showing how local talent is shaping the future of defence technology. It is a powerful example of how we are helping the UAE build sovereign capabilities and human capital, ensuring the nation remains at the forefront of global defence innovation.

What can visitors expect from Lockheed Martin at Dubai Airshow 2025?

We are bringing a dynamic lineup that showcases both technology and talent. On the flight line, the F-35 Lightning II Full-Scale Model will once again be a major attraction. Visitors can get up close, sit in the cockpit, and take a photo inside the world’s most advanced multirole fighter.

Inside our pavilion, invited guests will experience the F-35 Cockpit Demonstrator, an invitation-only immersive simulation that highlights the aircraft’s unmatched sensor fusion, situational awareness, and connectivity that offers a true sense of fifth-generation operations.

We also look forward to the F-35 Demonstration Team performing precision manoeuvres that showcase the fighter’s agility and stealth. Alongside it, Lockheed Martin’s proven platforms like the F-16 Fighting Falcon, C-130J Super Hercules, and KC-130J will participate in the flying display, demonstrating the strength and versatility of our aircraft.

Within our exhibit, we will feature the 21st Century Security Frame, an interactive display that visualises how sensors, platforms, and command-and-control systems connect across all domains. This integrated ecosystem demonstrates how data and technology converge to provide faster, more confident decision-making for military leaders. A separate 80-inch Digital Model Viewer Display will allow visitors to explore our systems in detail.

You often emphasise partnership as the foundation of success in this region. How does that apply to Lockheed Martin’s mission today?

Partnership is in our DNA. For 50 years, we have worked side by side with the UAE, training personnel, transferring technology, and developing local talent. Partnering for Security and Prosperity means advancing shared goals, protecting the nation, enabling industrial growth, and creating opportunities for future generations.

Lockheed Martin’s long-term strategy is to ensure that our partnerships are sustainable and mutually beneficial. Whether through industrial localisation, training Emirati engineers at CISS, or co-developing advanced technologies, our focus remains the same: helping our partners achieve self-reliance and long-term security.

Looking ahead, how do you see AI and 21st Century Security shaping the next decade of defence collaboration?

The future will be defined by connectivity, speed, and precision. Nations that can fuse information from multiple domains, analyse it through AI, and act decisively will hold the advantage. Lockheed Martin is committed to working with the UAE and other partners to ensure they have those capabilities, by combining human ingenuity with machine intelligence to build a safer and more prosperous world.

That is what ‘Partnering for Security and Prosperity’ is all about.

Comments () Views (8695 ) Print

Send To Friend