Contracts worth Dh19.17 billion break record for defence show

Nimr wins order to build 1,765 vehicles

The Armed Forces awarded contracts worth Dh344 million yesterday, the final day of Idex, taking the total awarded to more than Dh19.17 billion – beating the record set at the show’s 2015 edition.

The eight contract awards on the fifth and final day do not include an order for 1,765 armoured vehicles from the Abu Dhabi-owned military vehicle maker Nimr Automotive, a deal whose value was not disclosed, Idex said.

Of the eight deals agreed, five were awarded to local companies and the remainder to international and regional companies.

At the previous edition of Idex, more than Dh18.3bn worth of deals was announced.

Beltech Export, a Belarus company, won a Dh110m contract to provide technical support, while Turkey’s FNSS Savunma Sistemileri won a Dh55m contract for technical support, too.

More than 105,400 visitors attended the show, which will next be staged in February 2019.

There were 1,235 companies, including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and Russia’s Rostec, represented at Idex, a 3 per cent increase on 2015. Local companies had the largest presence.

The number of participating countries increased by 10 per cent to 57. The exhibition’s footprint this year expanded by 5 per cent to more than 53,500 square metres.

The 2015 edition attracted more than 100,000 visitors.

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