From lasers to missiles, IDEX exhibitors are determined to counter drones (estt/Getty Images; illustration by Kaya Gordon) ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates While some companies at the International Defence Exhibition and Conference are showing off their drones as surveillance aircraft, loitering munitions or swarms a few have countermeasures on display, including high-energy laser systems and smart missiles. SkyKnight, which was unveiled at IDEX, is a radar-equipped missile made by Emirati defense company Halcon set to be integrated into the German Oerlikon air defense system, made by Rheinmetall. SkyKnight is the first missile system able to counter rockets, artillery and mortars designed and manufactured in the United Arab Emirates. The counter-drone system was designed to mitigate modern threats such as rotary-wing aircraft, UAVs, rockets, artillery, mortars and other fixed-wing aircraft at a range of up to 10 kilometers.
For Israeli companies, the ability to publicly do business is a major game-changer in the Gulf.
Israeli defense giants and start-ups are looking forward to the usually massive defense exhibition called IDEX in Abu Dhabi. The pandemic has put a stop to many large exhibitions in the past year but the United Arab Emirates is committed to having IDEX this February 21 for four days. It is the largest defense exhibition and conference in the Middle East of its kind. According to ISDEF, a part of the Avnon Group, which is arranging Israel’s pavilion, there may be 1,250 exhibitors from sixty-two countries. More than 100,000 people have attended in the past.