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Dassault Aviation will be one of 1,060 companies showcasing their wares at the 10th biennial International Defence Exhibition & Conference (Idex) in Abu Dhabi, which starts on Sunday.
Heads of state and top-ranking military officials will be among more than 50,000 visitors and 150 official delegations expected at the five-day event.
Pavilions representing the various countries taking part and company stands will cover 124,000 square metres at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, while the nearby naval exhibition, called NAVDEX, will feature navy ships from Italy, the UK, France and the UAE.
UAE companies will have a significant presence at IDEX 2011 with 169 exhibitors occupying an area of 12,200 sq metres. They will all hope to be selected for billions of dirhams' worth of defence deals typically unveiled at the show by the UAE Armed Forces.
In 2009, the Emirates announced contracts worth Dh18.5 billion (US$5.03bn).
However, due to the lengthy nature of defence negotiations, not all announcements result in firm contracts.
At the 2009 IDEX, the UAE announced it had selected Lockheed Martin for the purchase of 12 C-130 transport aircraft. At the same event, the UAE selected Alenia Aemacchi, a unit of the Finmeccanica Group of Italy, for 48 trainer jets and light attack aircraft, in a deal valued at more than $1bn. Negotiations for both deals are still ongoing.
