The 13th international defense exhibition and conference in the MENA region IDEX 2017 kicked off in Abu Dhabi parallel to the 4th naval defence and maritime security exhibition NAVDEX 2017. 1235 companies from 57 countries present their samples of military equipment and security technologies here.

NAVDEX gathered about 100 companies from 27 countries; many have not participated in the shows previously. The total area of the exhibition is 133000 square meters. Within the exhibition demonstrations and shooting from various weapons are held. According to the organizing committee, the exhibition will be visited by more than 150 official delegations; more than 100 thousand specialists will visit.

The exhibition was opened by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

The official opening of the exhibition for the first time was attended by the Presidential Orchestra of the Moscow Kremlin Commandant Service of the Russian Federation Federal Security Service. The Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov also took part in the opening. The head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia held talks with the top leadership of the UAE, as well as heads of foreign official delegations and large companies.

Russia is a permanent IDEX exhibitor, starting from the first one. This year, the Russian exposition, organized by JSC “Rosobronoexport”, occupies more than 1379 square meters inpavilion and outdoor area. There are more than 240 samples of weapons and military equipment for all types of armed forces from 18 organizations and holdings of the Russian defense industry. Armored vehicles are shown by Uralvagonzavod, Almaz-Antey Concern and the Russian Helicopters present air defense technology, the Schwabe Optical Electronic Holding showed sniper rifles, night vision devices, binoculars with image stabilization, IR cameras, Searchlights and other.

According to analysts, defense spending in the region is expected to grow to $ 180 billion by 2020. The UAE intends to focus on developing its defense capabilities through the latest technologies in the global effort to prevent terrorist threats.