Russia at the Egypt's leading tri-service defence exhibition

The second edition of EDEX 2021 was held in the end of last year at the Egypt International Exhibition Centre (EIEC) in New Cairo. Organized by the Egyptian Ministry of Defense and Military Production, the exhibition was able to gather over 400 exhibitors and 30,000 visitors from more than 70 countries. There were armaments from 42 countries, in addition to the attendance of official delegations of dignitaries from 45 countries. At EDEX 2021 Rosoboronexport JSC (part of Rostec State Corporation) organized a large-scale demonstration of Russian defense products.

Egypt Defence Expo, or EDEX, is the first international defence exhibition in Egypt, covering air, land and sea military technologies. The exhibition is held every two years at the Egypt International Exhibition Center in the city of New Cairo. The exhibition is organised by Clarion Events Defence and Security, in cooperation with the Egyptian Armed Forces and Ministry of Military Production. EDEX aims to bring together key defence and security players from the region and across the world.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi inaugurated the second edition of Egypt Defence Expo (EDEX 2021). He said the turnout this year is huge and reflects the country’s ability to organise such international events.

The organising company announced that about 400 exhibitors from all over the world participated this year to display the latest technologies in the fields of defense and armaments from 42 countries, in addition to the attendance of official delegations of dignitaries from 45 countries.

EDEX is fully supported by the Egyptian Armed Forces and presents a brand new opportunity for exhibitors to showcase the latest technology, equipment and systems across land, sea, and air. In his speech during the opening session, Egypt’s Minister of Defense Lieutenant-General Mohamed Zaki, had emphasised Egypt’s aspiration to receive the most important pioneers in the defense systems industry in the world.

He added that the event is expected to be developed in size and strength in its second edition compared to the successful first edition, stressing the keenness of the General Command of the Armed Forces to follow all precautionary measures and measures to ensure the health safety of visitors during the exhibition activities.

Zaki further noted that the exhibition opens new horizons of cooperation between Egypt and various countries in the field of military industries, as EDEX has become an effective international umbrella to showcase the latest systems of military, defense and technological industries in the world.

Rosoboronexport JSC organized a large-scale demonstration of Russian defense products at the EDEX 2021.

"Egypt is Russia's important strategic partner. Military-technical cooperation between our countries has a long history and is continuously evolving in line with world market trends. Rosoboronexport is ready to continue to cooperate with the Egyptian side in any modern formats and across the entire lineup of military, dual-use and civilian export products," said Alexander Mikheev, Director General of Rosoboronexport. “At EDEX 2021, we will show high-level representatives of all services of the armed forces of Egypt and other African countries the latest Russian military products and developments and will also hold meetings and negotiations on relevant security issues."

At EDEX 2021, Rosoboronexport was the organizer of Russia’s single exhibit, within which seven major Russian defense manufacturers which showcased their products for all services of the armed forces.

Rosoboronexport’s stand presented 350+ products, including scale models of the Yak-130 combat training aircraft, Mi-35M transport/attack helicopter, Ka-31 radar picket helicopter and the Rubezh-ME coastal defense missile system.

In addition, at the Rosoboronexport stand, Remdiesel exhibited models of the Typhoon and Tornado armored motor vehicles, Kalashnikov Concern demonstrated a wide range of small arms, including the Lebedev pistol, Kalashnikov assault rifles including AK-100 and AK-200 series, the most advanced AK-15, AK-19 and AK-308 rifles, as well as the newest PPK-20 submachine gun.

Uralvagonzavod Concern, the world's largest manufacturer of armored vehicles, displayed mock-ups of the T-90MS MBT and the BMPT Terminator tank support fighting vehicle, the bestsellers of the arms market, which are extremely popular in the Middle East and Africa. The Petrovsky Plant unveiled a mock-up of the latest PTKM-1R top-attack anti–tank mine and the Special Technology Center exhibited the Orlan-10E unmanned aerial vehicles.

"Rosoboronexport notes a marked growth of interest among foreign partners in Russian-made unmanned aerial vehicles. In 2021, the Orion-E reconnaissance/strike UAV was launched to the external market and now we are negotiating its acquisition with more than 10 potential customers. In addition, more than 50 Orlan-10E drones have been delivered to customers this year. We are preparing to launch new models soon, including kamikaze and heavy attack drones," Alexander Mikheev said.

Rosoboronexport was installed separate stands to demonstrate products from the Almaz-Antey Air and Space Defense Corporation, NII Stali Research Institute, as well as Rostec’s High-Precision Systems, Russian Helicopters, Technodinamika and Roselectronics holding companies.

The Russian defense industry was presented in Egypt by 1,000+ products. Foreign partners could see air defense systems of various ranges, combat and transport aircraft, including IL-76MD-90A(E) military transport and Il-78MK-90A tanker, helicopters, armored vehicles, naval hardware, small arms, as well as a wide range of ammunition.

At EDEX 2021, Rosoboronexport was held a presentation of the Kornet-EM universal missile system and its crew equipment. The company's specialists toll in detail about its characteristics and capabilities, as well as the features of its employment, including in view of combat experience.

As part of the business program of the exhibition, Rosoboronexport was held meetings and negotiations with representatives of various services and branches of the armed forces of the Ministry of Defense of Egypt and other countries. It was discussion about further cooperation in all areas of defense relevant to the region, including countering terrorist groups.