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Fighter Aircraft and Weaponry Steal the Show

DUBAI — Military hardware and fighter aircraft stole the Dubai Airshow against a backdrop of mounting regional tensions, growing security concerns and increased defence spending by countries in the Gulf.

The focus of the show shifted this week from civil aviation to defence and military equipment, with the financial crisis keeping the region’s major airlines from trying to repeat their shopping spree of the last show in 2007, defence analysts and exhibitors said.

An intense race for a slice of the region’s defence spending was evident at the show as some of the countries in the Middle East are reportedly investing some $60 billion in advanced defence equipment and military aircraft in 2009 alone

Analysts said that a tilt toward military aircraft, spy systems and weaponry was more visible at the show this year than in the past.

Saudi Arabia is forecast to spend $39 billion in 2009, rising to $45 billion a year by 2013. The UAE is expected to be the second-largest GCC defence contributor, with $9 billion this year, according to Forecast International, a provider of market intelligence and analyses for the aerospace, defense, military electronics, and power systems industries.

Another factor that has prompted defence contractors to look more aggressively for business in this region is the budget cuts for some major US defence programmes.

“This region is very important to us,” said P.T. Mikolashek, vice president of defence contractor Raytheon Co.’s international business.

“There are growing security concerns for some of the countries in the region, and Raytheon, which has 40 years of presence in the Middle East, has an increasing role in offering security solutions to our partners here,” Mikolashek told Khaleej Times.

“We talked to more customers this year than in 2007,” he said, adding that the show had exceeded Raytheon’s expectations.

“High oil prices are keeping the region a growth market for combat aircraft,” one of the event’s daily bulletins quoted analyst Richard Aboulafia as saying. Aboulafia works at Teal Group, an aerospace consulting firm based in Fairfax, Virginia.

Present at the show were some of the best fighter and attack jets in the world. They included the Eurofighter Typhoon, the Dassault Rafale of France and the world’s most advanced fighter, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.

Eurofighter, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Thales and MBDA were among a contingent of more than 300 defence companies exhibiting at the event.

While no huge military deals were announced here this week, several defence exhibitors said they were looking for long-term business in the region.

“We are not looking for any immediate, major haul. For the past several years, our products helped defend the region, and we hope to continue to do the same in the future,” Mikolashek said.

Boeing demonstrated its Vigilare ground-based airborne command and control system and introduced a light-attack and reconnaissance helicopter, the AH-6i, geared toward international customers.

Phoenix-based Honeywell Aerospace said this week that it had signed more than $500 million in orders with primarily airline customers.

For its part, Thales of France entered into a deal with Abu Dhabi Airports Company, or ADAC, for installing the latest generation air traffic control systems, said Richard Deakin, Thales Senior Vice President.

“ADAC’s ambition is to transform Abu Dhabi airport into a hub. Thales is proud to be cooperating closely with ADAC teams to carry our a project of such scale,” he said.

France is pushing hard to raise its profile in the region. It recently established its first new overseas base in 60 years in Abu Dhabi, where six Rafales will be stationed.

Raytheon’s Tucson-based missile business said it has received preliminary orders for missiles from Kuwait, Morocco and Jordan. The company also completed several test flights of the Talon laser-guided rocket that it is developing together with the UAE’s Emirates Advanced Investments, said Dr Taylor Lawrence, Raytheon Missile Systems President.

Lockheed Martin has presented a concept of the Littoral Combat Ship, or LCS, adapted to carry the Aegis combat system to several Gulf states, George Elghossain, the company’s international business development director, said at the show. The 3,000 tonne LCS vessel would be equipped with the Spy 1 radar and Aegis combat system to add greater surveillance capabilities.

“An advanced seaborne radar could be relevant to militaries in the Gulf region because of interest in building an integrated ballistic missile defense system,” he said.

issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com