On November 8, the United Arab Emirates opened the international aerospace exhibition Dubai Airshow 2015. This event is a platform for advertising new developments in the field of aviation, space, air defense, etc. For more than two decades of its existence, the exhibition in Dubai has become one of the largest and most important events in the aerospace industry.
According to the organizers, this year more than 800 companies and organizations from fifty countries of the world are taking part in the exhibition. At the same time, the defense industry of the UAE itself is best represented - at the stands of Dubai Airshow 2015, expositions of 234 companies of the host country were located. The second place in terms of the number of participants remained with the United States - 185 companies. The top three is closed by Great Britain, which is represented by 67 organizations. Representatives of several dozen countries will be able to get acquainted with the new developments of the participating organizations. It is reported that the organizers of the exhibition sent invitations to the military departments of 103 states.
Russia is one of the main participants of the Dubai Airshow 2015. The organization of the Russian exposition was entrusted to the Rostec corporation. All Russian developments in several areas are presented within a single exposition, located on an area of 678 sq. m. The Russian defense industry is represented at the exhibition by 23 organizations working in various fields. On the stands and in the open area, there are two hundred exhibits of Russian production.
A few days before the start of the exhibition, the Russian Helicopters holding announced the composition of its exposition. Several modern helicopters for various purposes are presented to potential customers. These are the multipurpose Mi-171A2, the light multipurpose "Ansat" in the VIP version, as well as the fire-fighting modification of the Ka-32A11BC. This technique is designed to address various issues that potential customers may face. Russian specialists expect that new domestic developments in the field of helicopter construction will interest foreign clients. This, in particular, should be facilitated by the existing experience in the practical operation of new technology. In particular, the Ka-32A11BC helicopter in a fire-fighting configuration has already been used to fight fires in buildings at high altitudes.
The United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) brought a large number of advertising materials and layouts of new domestic equipment to Dubai Airshow 2015. The latest combat aircraft such as the Su-35S, Yak-130 and even the promising T-50 (PAK FA) are presented in the form of mock-ups. Despite the lack of full-fledged samples, this technique has already attracted the attention of foreign countries. The general director of the state corporation "Rostec" said that Russia is currently negotiating with the United Arab Emirates, the topic of which is the sale of Su-35S fighters.
The UAC represents not only military equipment, but also civil aircraft. Visitors to Dubai Airshow 2015 once again had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the materials on the project of the promising passenger aircraft MC-21. For obvious reasons, this project is so far presented only by the layout and printed materials. Nevertheless, the Russian exposition also includes a full-fledged sample of aviation equipment. A serial SSJ100, built for the Mexican airline Interjet, flew to Dubai to participate in the exhibition. The aircraft presented at the exhibition received a salon from the Italian company Pinifarina and is soon to join another technique of its type, which is already participating in passenger transportation.
UAC officials say the SSJ100 can be upgraded to improve its basic performance. Thus, the liner in the version with a business class cabin can receive additional fuel tanks, new wingtips and a number of other units. Due to the use of such equipment, the flight range can be increased to 8 thousand km.
The United Rocket and Space Corporation and Roscosmos presented a joint exposition this time. For the first time in history, these organizations demonstrate their developments at a common stand and under one brand. The Russian "space" stands showcase the products of several companies in the industry. This is "Information satellite systems named after. Reshetnev ", NPK" Space monitoring systems, information-control and electromechanical complexes ", NPK" Precision Instrumentation Systems "and others.
According to the domestic press, industry organizations presented a number of mock-ups of modern spacecraft. For example, "Information Satellite Systems" presents the devices "Express-AM5", "Luch-5A", "Gonets-M" and others. The VNIIEM corporation demonstrates the Kanopus-V satellite mockup, as well as the images taken by this type of apparatus.
The Russian Air Defense Concern Almaz-Antey is a traditional participant in various aerospace exhibitions, where it demonstrates its developments. Before the exhibition, the Concern's press service reported that the exposition will feature about two dozen samples of various systems. The main element of the exposition is the S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile system. Due to its novelty and high performance, this system attracts the attention of specialists and technology enthusiasts all over the world.
In addition, other air defense systems and electronic systems are on display. Thus, anti-aircraft complexes of the Tor family and the Buk-M2E system are presented. Detection equipment is represented by the 55Zh6ME radar complex, as well as the 1L122E and 1L121E radars. In addition, the exposition includes materials on the three-coordinate radar of medium and high altitudes 55ZH6UME.
The Russian defense industry expects an increase in demand for its products. Mikhail Zavaliy, advisor to the general director of Rosoboronexport, quoted by the TASS news agency, claims that there is a surge of interest in Russian weapons and military equipment in the Middle East. The countries of the region know about its real characteristics, and not only from advertising materials. In this regard, the military departments of the Middle Eastern states turn to Russia with offers to purchase various defense products. At the same time, the main interest is shown in air defense systems, combat aviation and ground equipment.
Over the past years, Iraq has been the main buyer of Russian weapons and equipment in the Middle East. Back in 2012, several contracts were signed for the supply of various equipment with a total value of about 4.2 billion US dollars. In addition, after the activation of terrorist groups, official Baghdad was forced to ask for additional supplies of weapons and equipment. It is likely that military-technical cooperation between Russia and Iraq will continue in the future.
Not so long ago it became known that Saudi Arabia is showing interest in Russian BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles and Iskander tactical missile systems. It cannot be ruled out that this interest will lead to the conclusion of an agreement for the supply of such equipment. The United Arab Emirates, which already has a large fleet of BMP-3s, is currently considering the possibility of purchasing Russian-made combat modules, which are planned to be installed on new armored vehicles.
Dubai Airshow 2015 is open to visitors until November 12. Several tens of thousands of people are expected to visit it during this time. The main interest of this salon is for military and civilian specialists from different countries, primarily the states of the Middle East. Nevertheless, the exhibition program includes not only serious events for professionals. It also focuses on demonstration flights and other events that will be of interest to the general public.
During the current exhibition, potential buyers of weapons and equipment will be able to familiarize themselves with current offers from their manufacturers. In the future, we can expect the beginning of a number of important negotiations, the result of which will be numerous contracts for the supply of one or another product. 23 Russian enterprises brought to Dubai about two hundred different exhibits, from civilian and military aircraft to spacecraft and anti-aircraft missile systems. Probably, some of these samples will interest potential buyers and help the Russian defense industry replenish its order book with new contracts for the supply of various products.
