Emirates dares to hold the world's largest defence systems exhibition in person 

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the United Arab Emirates, it was inaugurated today the world's first exhibition of the year dedicated to military technology in its land, naval, aerospace and cyber aspects at the National Exhibition Centre in Abu Dhabi.  

This is the 15th edition of the International Defence Exhibition (Idex) and the sixth edition of the Naval Defence and Maritime Security Exhibition (Navdex), which are being held in parallel from 21 to 25 February and attract the largest defence corporations and industrial companies from all over the world. They showcase the most outstanding technological innovations in services, products and weapons systems, including unmanned combat vehicles, missiles, precision-guided munitions, coastal patrol vessels and new electronic warfare capabilities.  

With 155,000 square metres of indoor and 81,000 square metres of outdoor space, both exhibition halls showcase a high percentage of new developments in military systems supported by artificial intelligence, such as that applied to missile defence, cybersecurity and remotely piloted air, ground and naval vehicles.   

As this is the first major face-to-face exposure since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Emirati authorities have been exhaustive in applying the highest health procedures to ensure safety from the coronavirus. Tens of thousands of professionals are expected to attend and more than a hundred official international delegations, including ministers and senior political and military officials, are scheduled to visit.  

Hydroalcoholic gel dispensers and thermal scanners are stationed at all entrances, sterilisation operations are carried out with disinfectant fogging machines throughout the day, social distancing standards are enforced and face masks are mandatory. Foreign visitors are not required to pass the current 10-day quarantine, but must provide proof of a negative PCR and pass regular tests. 

The 2021 editions of Idex and Navdex coincide with the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Emirates. Both will serve to take the pulse of the immediate future of a sector that has seen how, for example, cybersecurity services and the demand for protected digital connections by land, submarine and satellite cabling has been multiplied by the notable increase in teleworking in companies and official institutions.  

According to data provided by the Organising Committee, 900 companies from 59 countries are attending the 2021 edition, four of them for the first time: Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, North Macedonia and Portugal. According to the Director General of Defence Industries and Capability Development of the UAE Ministry of Defence and Chief of the Air Staff, General Ishaq Saleh Al Baluchi, "it reflects the confidence of the international community" in the country's ability to organise an event of the size of Idex and Navdex "despite the coronavirus pandemic". 

The largest pavilion is that of the Emirates, which brings together 144 companies from the country, 26 of which are directly related to defence and security. It is followed in size and importance by the United States, Saudi Arabia, China and France, and is joined by Austria, Italy, Belgium and Spain. An official Israeli pavilion was planned, but Benjamin Netanyahu's government has deemed that the pandemic does not recommend the presence of Israeli industries, and in the end there is no Israeli presence. 

The Spanish pavilion is coordinated by the Spanish Association of Defence, Aeronautics, Security and Space Technology Companies (TEDAE) and includes Escribano Mechanical & Engineering, Everis, Expal, Grabysur, Hisdesat, Instalaza, Navantia, Tecnobit and Uro, which will showcase their latest technological innovations in the fields of all-terrain vehicles, communications, intelligent munitions, unmanned aircraft and warships.

Idex and Navdex have had as prologue the so-called International Defence Conference, which on the 20th brought together at the ADNOC Business Centre in Abu Dhabi in a hybrid format - face-to-face and by teleconference - nearly 2,400 professionals from more than 80 countries.

Artificial intelligence in weapon systems on the rise 

More than 30 institutional officials and senior business leaders discussed and exchanged views on the development of artificial intelligence, advanced technology and protection in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. 

Speakers included the director of the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency, Heidi Grant; the CEO of the German firm Diehl, Helmut Rauch; one of the vice presidents of Lockheed Martin, the world's leading industrial defence systems corporation, Tim Cahill; the CEO of the Swedish company Saab, Micael Johansson; and the cybersecurity coordinator of the International Telecommunication Union, Marco Obiso. 

They shared their experiences and insights on the impact of innovation in defence industries, cybersecurity, supply chain, artificial intelligence and R&D, as well as the role of the UAE in strengthening the defence industry fabric locally, regionally and globally.  

One of the participants was Emirati Minister of Digital Economy, Artificial Intelligence and Remote Working Applications, Omar Al Olama, who stressed that the integration of artificial intelligence into defence systems presents serious challenges, "but there is an urgent need to do so". He also stressed the need to address the security of imported artificial intelligence, which has the risk of "unwanted backdoor access that poisons and creates detrimental impacts on the recipient country".

Idex and Navdex 2021 inaugurate a new cycle of defence exhibitions on a global scale, in an attempt to leave behind the very poor results of 2020. Their results figures will allow us to look with optimism or concern at the short-term continuity of this type of event in the on-site format, which has seen shows of the size and importance of the Paris International Air and Space Show - initially scheduled for June of this year - cancelled. 

Under the patronage of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates and Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the first edition of Idex was held in 1993 as a regional fair. But edition after edition, it has gone from strength to strength to become the world's leading defence industry exhibition.