Visitors at Idex 2023. The latest in military technology for land, air and sea is on display in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National
Visitors at Idex 2023. The latest in military technology for land, air and sea is on display in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National
Visitors at Idex 2023. The latest in military technology for land, air and sea is on display in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National
Visitors at Idex 2023. The latest in military technology for land, air and sea is on display in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Idex 2025: Naval and military firms head to Abu Dhabi for Middle East's biggest defence expo


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Domestic and international defence companies will descend on Abu Dhabi on Monday for the Middle East’s largest defence expo, to showcase the latest in advanced technological products amid geopolitical threats, conflicts and rising tensions worldwide.

The International Defence Exhibition (Idex), and Naval Defence and Maritime Security Exhibition (Navdex), will take place in the UAE capital from February 17-21, with the biennial event's largest expo yet, organisers said.

More than 150,000 visitors are expected through the doors during the week-long event, where more than 1,565 exhibitors from around the world will be in attendance. Featuring 41 country pavilions across more than 180,000 square metres of exhibition space, Idex will gather decision-makers, industry leaders and top companies to explore the future of maritime defence and security.

“This edition will feature 41 national pavilions, with the UAE pavilion being the largest at 25,000 square metres, a 4 per cent increase from the previous edition. The number of national companies has reached 213, making up 16 per cent of exhibitors, while international companies constitute 84 per cent,“ Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, managing director and group chief executive of Adnec Group, said.

Seven new countries, including Qatar, Ethiopia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Cyprus are participating this year. Additionally, a dedicated platform, with participation from 38 companies across 13 countries, has been introduced to raise awareness of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive threats.

More than 3,300 products and technologies will be displayed at the event. The exhibitions will also host more than 156 start-ups, accounting for 10 per cent of total exhibitors.

Emirati defence conglomerate Edge, alongside major international companies such as Raytheon Technologies, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Saab and Thales will be participating in this year's event.

“Idex is a key opportunity to engage with partners across the region and showcase how our advanced defence solutions can support the country’s security and aerospace ambitions,” said Kuljit Ghata-Aura, president of Boeing Middle East, Turkey, Africa, and Central Asia. “We look forward to ... further contributing to the growing domestic defence industrial base.”

Navdex will feature a display of naval fleets from countries such as the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Pakistan, Greece, South Korea and India.

The event will feature the launch of several warships for the UAE Armed Forces, with the participation of 21 vessels from allied nations, including newly manufactured ships that highlight the advanced technology of the Emirati defence industry, organisers said.

  • Visitors try out a sniper rifle scope sight on the first day of Idex in Abu Dhabi. AFP
    Visitors try out a sniper rifle scope sight on the first day of Idex in Abu Dhabi. AFP
  • The Middle East's biggest defence show is expected to host more than 100,000 visitors over five days. Ryan LIM / AFP
    The Middle East's biggest defence show is expected to host more than 100,000 visitors over five days. Ryan LIM / AFP
  • Visitors stand near the weapons platform of a TAI/AgustaWestland T129 ATAK attack helicopter on display. AFP
    Visitors stand near the weapons platform of a TAI/AgustaWestland T129 ATAK attack helicopter on display. AFP
  • Visitors view the Type-X robotic combat vehicle (RCV) at the Edge pavilion. AFP
    Visitors view the Type-X robotic combat vehicle (RCV) at the Edge pavilion. AFP
  • Tanzanian military officers attend a demonstration of assault rifles and other firearms. AFP
    Tanzanian military officers attend a demonstration of assault rifles and other firearms. AFP
  • A Russian helicopter on display. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    A Russian helicopter on display. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • The Turkish-made Baykar drone at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    The Turkish-made Baykar drone at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Oleg Skliar, from Ukraine's Kyiv Design Bureau, which makes spotter drones. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Oleg Skliar, from Ukraine's Kyiv Design Bureau, which makes spotter drones. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Robots entertaining visitors at Idex and Navdex 2023 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Robots entertaining visitors at Idex and Navdex 2023 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • The arms and defence technology sales exhibition is held every two years
    The arms and defence technology sales exhibition is held every two years
  • Steel-frame pistols made by Sarsilmaz are on show
    Steel-frame pistols made by Sarsilmaz are on show
  • A combat missile system on display
    A combat missile system on display
  • The John Cockerill stand at Idex
    The John Cockerill stand at Idex
  • Model warplanes displayed by Korea Aerospace Industries
    Model warplanes displayed by Korea Aerospace Industries
  • The busy opening day of Idex and Navdex
    The busy opening day of Idex and Navdex
  • The event is being held at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from February 20-24
    The event is being held at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from February 20-24
  • The event highlights the UAE's progress in the defence industry
    The event highlights the UAE's progress in the defence industry
  • People gather for the opening day
    People gather for the opening day
  • The LIG stand
    The LIG stand
  • A Nimr 8x8 robotic combat vehicle
    A Nimr 8x8 robotic combat vehicle
  • Weapons at the Safran stand
    Weapons at the Safran stand

The UAE and Saudi Arabia are developing their military production capabilities to reduce their reliance on foreign suppliers. The move is intended to diversify economies from oil, encourage domestic manufacturing and create more jobs. It will also boost sectors such as maintenance and repair operations where local capabilities exist.

The world's top arms producers have recorded a rise in revenue on the back of several wars and rising regional tension.

Revenue from the sales of arms and military services by the 100 largest companies in the industry reached $632 billion in 2023, an increase of 4.2 per cent on 2022, according to data by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) released in December 2024.

"Arms revenue increases were seen in all regions, with particularly sharp rises among companies based in Russia and the Middle East," Sipri said in its report. "Overall, smaller producers were more efficient at responding to new demand linked to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, growing tension in East Asia and rearmament programmes elsewhere."

Six of the top 100 arms companies were based in the Middle East, with their combined arms revenue growing by 18 per cent to $19.6 billion, the data showed.

"The biggest Middle Eastern arms producers in the Top 100 saw their arms revenue reach unprecedented heights in 2023 and the growth looks set to continue," said Diego Lopes da Silva, senior researcher with the Sipri Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme.

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Match info

Manchester City 3 (Jesus 22', 50', Sterling 69')
Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 65')

The biog

Favourite book: Men are from Mars Women are from Venus

Favourite travel destination: Ooty, a hill station in South India

Hobbies: Cooking. Biryani, pepper crab are her signature dishes

Favourite place in UAE: Marjan Island

Mina Cup winners

Under 12 – Minerva Academy

Under 14 – Unam Pumas

Under 16 – Fursan Hispania

Under 18 – Madenat

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption. 

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks. 

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes. 

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion. 

8. Pillar 2 implementation 

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations. 

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity. 

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

How England have scored their set-piece goals in Russia

Three Penalties

v Panama, Group Stage (Harry Kane)

v Panama, Group Stage (Kane)

v Colombia, Last 16 (Kane)

Four Corners

v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via John Stones header, from Ashley Young corner)

v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via Harry Maguire header, from Kieran Trippier corner)

v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, header, from Trippier corner)

v Sweden, Quarter-Final (Maguire, header, from Young corner)

One Free-Kick

v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, via Jordan Henderson, Kane header, and Raheem Sterling, from Tripper free-kick)

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

FIXTURES

All times UAE ( 4 GMT)

Friday
Saint-Etienne v Montpellier (10.45pm)

Saturday
Monaco v Caen (7pm)
Amiens v Bordeaux (10pm)
Angers v Toulouse (10pm)
Metz v Dijon (10pm)
Nantes v Guingamp (10pm)
Rennes v Lille (10pm)

Sunday
Nice v Strasbourg (5pm)
Troyes v Lyon (7pm)
Marseille v Paris Saint-Germain (11pm)

The language of diplomacy in 1853

Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)


We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.

Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale

Try out the test yourself

Q1 Suppose you had $100 in a savings account and the interest rate was 2 per cent per year. After five years, how much do you think you would have in the account if you left the money to grow?
a) More than $102
b) Exactly $102
c) Less than $102
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer

Q2 Imagine that the interest rate on your savings account was 1 per cent per year and inflation was 2 per cent per year. After one year, how much would you be able to buy with the money in this account?
a) More than today
b) Exactly the same as today
c) Less than today
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer

Q4 Do you think that the following statement is true or false? “Buying a single company stock usually provides a safer return than a stock mutual fund.”
a) True
b) False
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer

The “Big Three” financial literacy questions were created by Professors Annamaria Lusardi of the George Washington School of Business and Olivia Mitchell, of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. 

Answers: Q1 More than $102 (compound interest). Q2 Less than today (inflation). Q3 False (diversification).

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

The story in numbers

18

This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens

450,000

More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps

1.5 million

There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m

73

The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association

18,000

The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme

77,400

The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study

4,926

This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee

List of alleged parties

 

May 12, 2020: PM and his wife Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at least 17 staff 

May 20, 2020: They attend 'bring your own booze party'

Nov 27, 2020: PM gives speech at leaving party for his staff 

Dec 10, 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson 

Dec 13, 2020: PM and his wife throw a party

Dec 14, 2020: London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff event at Conservative Party headquarters 

Dec 15, 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz 

Dec 18, 2020: Downing Street Christmas party 

TICKETS

For tickets for the two-day Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) event, entitled Dubai Invasion 2019, on September 27 and 28 go to www.meraticket.com.

Updated: February 16, 2025, 8:52 AM