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Middle East’s most
prestigious show

ABU DHABI — The first biennial International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) began in 1993 with a strategic vision to energise and stimulate the country’s defence industry.

Today, it is the most prestigious international defence show that has grown and recognised as the MENA region’s as well as the world largest.

The 2011 edition has grown in size with the number of exhibitors from 53 countries was 1,060, occupying 108,000 square metres of space and 32 country pavilions. The 2011 event marks the 10^thedition of the International Defence Exhibition and Conference.

The defence show in 1993 was itself the launch-pad for the UAE’s defence industry with a pledge of $15 billion commitment during the time by the government for investment as part of the country’s strategy to modernise its defence industry.

The defence budgets of the regional countries in the Middle East and Africa are increasing, and according to a recent research by Frost & Sullivan, the GCC and Jordan defence budget is expected to hit $68 billion (Dh249 billion) in 2011, growing to around $80 billion by 2015.

Overall defence spending in the Middle East is also expected to cross $100 billion by 2015.

With the vision and strategy initiated in early 1990s, today the UAE is already producing ammunitions, military vehicles, defence communications and information technology solutions and services, and next month launching both the commercial and 
defence satellites. In 2005, there were contracts worth over Dh7 billion, and in 2007 the sales or the contracts dropped to Dh2 billion due to the global meltdown.

However, the last edition in 2009 saw the biggest ever deals of over Dh18 billion concluded at the show by the UAE Armed Forces alone in addition to multi-million worth contracts discussed and signed between participating companies and with visiting defence delegates. 
— nissar@khaleejtimes.com