EDEX 2018 takes place in Cairo
The Egypt Defence Expo - an international arms fair – took place in at the International Exhibition Centre in New Cairo. EDEX is a biennial arms fair, with 350 companies from over 40 countries, exhibiting to 10,000 visitors, including (according to the event’s website) Defence and Security Ministers, military Chiefs of Staff, Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Forces and Coastguard Commanders. The event announced the attendance of Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Bowardi, the United Arab Emirates’ Minister of State for Defense Affairs.
Twenty counties – including Egypt, USA, UK, South Korea, Russia, Germany, China, India, Saudi Arabia, and Spain – organised their own pavilions to show case their own countries companies.
The event is organised by Clarion Events, the same company that organises DSEI in London – one of the world’s largest arms fairs – among a number of other expos for the military industries. The event ended with the Egyptian government announcing the signing of a number of arms contracts with international companies. According to the press release:
- A Memorandum of Understanding was signed to establish a joint company between a French naval defense company, Naval Group, and the Egyptian Marine Industries and Services Organization (MIASO) to provide maintenance and technical support for all French naval units operating in the Egyptian army.
- The Egyptian Naval Forces (ENF) signed another MoU with a French company specialized in joint manufacturing.
- Other French companies, Thales Group and ACTIA, signed with Egypt a two-part deal to supply equipment for Egyptian satellite ground stations.
- Commander of Egyptian air forces, Mohamed Abbas signed an agreement to purchase drones from China’s National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC).
- Another agreement was signed with Italy’s Leonardo company to supply advanced radars for the Egyptian air defense forces.
Alongside the arms expo, military drills were held in the Mediterranean sea, with Italy, UK and Egypt participating in “activities aimed at confronting different security threats, as well as protecting vital targets against non-typical threats in the Mediterranean.”
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