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IDEX UAE 2013: News, Updates & Discussions

Feb 18, 2013

Defence giant targets UAE talent

Talented young Emiratis are being targeted by one of the world's leading defence companies to be the high-technology engineers of the future.

The programme is part of an agreement between BAE Systems Middle East and Africa and Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi to train students.

"We are looking to engage and get young people more excited about being engineers," Ben Bridge, the company's regional chief, said yesterday on the opening day of Idex, the International Defence Exhibition in Abu Dhabi.

"There are extremely bright and ambitious people in this country and if we engage them that will certainly benefit us."

Dr Mohammed Al Mualla of the university's research and development department said: "Our aim is to engage the industry and produce graduates to fill the gap of engineers and scientists."

Also at Idex yesterday, senior UK defence chiefs described plans for closer ties between Britain and the UAE.The defence procurement minister Philip Dunne said the UAE was one of several "friendly nations" where the UK could base forces for flexible deployment.

And Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, head of the Royal Air Force, proposed a semi-permanent British airbase in the UAE. It "would benefit us from the experience of the Emirati pilots and would benefit the Emiratis from our experience as well", he said.

Defence giant targets UAE talent - The National

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Feb 18, 2013

UK forces in talks over placing troops and airbases in the UAE

Britain and the UAE are holding talks regarding the placement of forces in the country, the deputy British defence minister revealed yesterday.

Philip Dunne said this comes in line with the realignment of the British military.

"We are moving our armed forces on to a contingent operations platform and that is all part of Future Force 2020," Mr Dunne said. "The armed forces are being placed in to a new configuration which will have a higher state of readiness to deploy in a flexible and adaptable way."

"We also are holding understandings and agreements with friendly nations to have the capacity to respond in the case an emergency arises. Access to military airfields which will depend on each nation."

Mr Dunne said that the British government is in discussions with the UAE Government to determine the size and type of presence in the UAE.

"I'm not going in to the details of what we are talking about here as we are still in the midst of having discussions and I do not want to give any false impressions yet," he said.

The Royal Air Force's air chief marshal, Sir Stephen Dalton, expressed his desire for a semi-permanent airbase in the UAE.

"This will not only increase our inter-operability but will also present us with a chance to conduct more than three or four exercises a year," Sir Stephen said.

"If in 10 years after operating in the northern sea or European theatres, for example, we need to come to the region I would not want to retrain my pilots in desert warfare," he said.

"Such an agreement would benefit us from the experience of the Emirati pilots and would benefit the Emiratis from our experiences as well," he added.

Mr Dunne confirmed the UK is not going to commit any ground forces at this time any where in the world, due to the realignment of the armed forces.

"We are maintaining our capability in the UK," he said.

According to Mr Dunne, the UK has 300 resident non- operational military personnel in the Arabian Gulf apart from another 1,500 combat-ready personnel.

"There are various force capabilities on the ground around the Middle East which are enabling local forces," he said.

The UK is currently withdrawing its forces from Afghanistan, a task it hopes to complete by 2014.

"Over the next two years our whole military posture will adjust as we redeploy from Afghanistan and move towards Future Force 2020 - the blueprint for our future armed forces, where flexibility and adaptability will become our guiding principle," he said in a speech earlier this week. "Our capacity to undertake activity in this region will increase," he added.

As part of the withdrawal, he said, the British military uses Dubai's Al Minhad airbase where heavy equipment is airlifted from Camp Bastion and then transported to the UK via sea from different Dubai ports.

"It is an important demonstration of how the two nations work together," he said.

Mr Dunne said that the kind of capability the British military will be seeking will be through rapid-reaction units.

"Naval-wise, we would use our amphibious units and army wise we would use our rapid reaction teams called the joint expeditionary force," he said,

"In the event they are called upon and the political decisions are made to deploy we would be able to do so more rapidly than we traditionally do".

Mr Dunne maintained that Arabian Gulf nations are better positioned to defend themselves.

"With more training, excersises and interoperability, between each other Gulf nations are equipped to defend their territories," he added.

http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/politics/uk-forces-in-talks-over-placing-troops-and-airbases-in-the-uae

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Members of the UAE armed forces participate in the opening ceremony of Idex.
 
Feb 18, 2013

Ideas take flight for Emirati pioneers at Idex

Engineering students from the capital have been showcasing their enthusiasm for technology at Idex by displaying some of their projects, with the aim of aiding the defence industry.

Khalifa Al Tamimi, 23, a senior aerospace engineering student, and 14 other students created a plastic orange drone called "Delta Wing" from scratch. It took the team, from Khalifa University, two months to come up with the design, two days to assemble it and then a further two days to check its capabilities.

"The manufacturing part is the most complex but it was able to fly the first time," Mr Al Tamimi said.

The drone flies using a remote control that the students bought and then altered by fusing wires together so it operated the drone. The students first came up with the idea when entering a competition called DBF - Design, Build, Fly, organised by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

"This year, we are aiming to get to the first rank," Mr Al Tamimi said.

The chance to attend Idex was also alluring to the students.

"It was an opportunity for me to show our accomplishments," Mr Al Tamimi said. "Also, we wanted to showcase our project to the sheikhs, and got to meet Sheikh Nahyan [bin Mubarak]."

With the help of a professor, Fahad Al Shaibani, 18, was able to build a quadcopter air drone in about a month.

"He pushed me to work on my own, and I put all the pieces together," he said. "I assembled the autopilot system to allow it to hover, and be able to reach from point A to B." The engine and wires were all ordered and brought in ready to be assembled, which the first-year student put together himself.

"I was inspired by the body and designed it on a specific programme and used aluminium to coat the surrounding, thus binding them together," Mr Al Shaibani said. To make the quadcopter drone safer, he aims to add ultrasonic sensors and maybe even cameras in the future.

"By adding cameras, we can, for example, send the drone to check for oil leaks in a refinery, or maybe allow the soldiers to see the land they are walking to, if they were in a desert," he said.

The drone can also be used to help those in need, by dropping food or blankets on a specific area, he added.

Ideas take flight for Emirati pioneers at Idex - The National
 
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Flying helicopters and motorcycles jumps during the inaguration ceremony of the International Defense Exhibition Conference at Abu Dhabi Exhibition Centre, ADNEC.

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Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, visits the Rolls Royce stand, at Idex.

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Joe Marci of Microsoft (Ireland) was thrilled to take the controls of a Eurofighter Typhoon simulator. Delores Johnson / The National

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The ADCOM SYSTEMS United 40 Drone, reflected in the glasses of Ahmed Abdulla Almahri, was among the hardware on display at the event.

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A M1A2 tank from Saudi Arabia on display at Idex 2013 at the Abu Dhabi Exhibition Center.

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Rows and rows of ammunition lined up and on display at Idex 2013.

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Two men show the VIRTSIM simulation system, a virtual reality training simulator, at Idex.

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Visitors at viewing displays at the Tawazun showroom during the defence exhibition.
 
18-Feb-2013

Mubadala Aerospace and UAE University to launch technician training Programme for UAE nationals

Mubadala Aerospace has signed an Dhs4.9m agreement with UAE University (UAEU) to train the next generation of Emirati technicians to work at Strata's aircraft composite production facility.

The new initiative, with key modules delivered by professional trainers from Lockheed Martin, builds on the success of existing programmes, which have already resulted in the employment of over 95 Emirati staff at Strata over the past two years.

In the presence of H.H. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Chancellor of UAEU, and Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Managing Director and CEO of Mubadala Development Company, the agreement was signed by Homaid Al Shemmari, Executive Director of Mubadala Aerospace business unit, and Dr. Ali Rashid Al Noaimi, Vice Chancellor of UAE University during the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) hosted at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC).

H.H. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan said,
"As part of the UAE's commitment to growth and diversification, UAE University is putting in place strong partnerships with local and international companies and institutions, to ensure that we best prepare our students to contribute to the nation's ongoing success."

"By working with these esteemed partners, the university, which occupies a leading position among world universities in terms of its education and research capabilities, can provide high quality training programmes across key industry sectors that meet the needs of infrastructure services, and the economic and social development in the UAE. Our training programme with Mubadala Aerospace is a perfect addition to our existing courses."

Dr. Ali Rashid Al Noaimi said, "The cooperative partnership between the University and Mubadala Aerospace will open up new opportunities for young people as they explore how they can play a role in the industry's future, and we look forward to ongoing collaboration and success. The university is committed to developing programmes to the highest global standards and specifications, as we plan for the future requirements of the local and international labor market, and allow young people to fulfill their aspirations."

Homaid Al Shemmari, Executive Director of Mubadala Aerospace and Chairman of Strata, commented, "Mubadala Aerospace is proud to support the growth of UAE nationals through this new facility and programme, allowing talented young students to fulfill their potential by becoming an integral part of the UAE's growing global aerospace industry. Aligning with UAE University and Lockheed Martin will ensure our students receive international standards of education and training, and most importantly are equipped with the skills to allow Strata to continue to deliver to the highest standards for its partners and customers across the globe."

This programme will introduce an additional 90 to 100 Emirati employees to Strata by early 2015, using the high level technical skills gained to construct composite parts for the world's leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) including Airbus and Boeing.

Hosted in a state-of-the-art facility built at UAE University, equipped with the tools used in the working Strata environment, students will also receive essential training in math and sciences to ensure they are fully prepared to develop their careers in the high-tech aerospace industry.

Based in Al Ain and founded in 1976 by H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan as the UAE's first national university. As an accredited comprehensive research-based institution, UAEU provides solutions to support the UAE and, through its global partners, the wider world.

Upon completion of the programme, Strata will offer all successful trainees full-time employment, with continued structured training and support as they progress their careers in the aerospace industry.

Mubadala Aerospace and UAE University to launch technician training Programme for UAE nationals | Mubadala | AMEinfo.com

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18-Feb-2013

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The Overhead Manned Turret (OMT) is a new generation, low profile turret designed for vehicles.

BAE Systems launches latest manned turret

BAE Systems Land Systems South Africa revealed its latest manned turret to attendees at IDEX exhibition in the United Arab Emirates.

The Overhead Manned Turret (OMT) is a new generation, low profile turret designed for vehicles such as Light Armoured Vehicles (LAV) or Mine Protected Vehicles (MPV).

The OMT is operated by one crew member and provides self-protection, ground fire support and attack capabilities to the vehicle system with an optimal balance between situational awareness, crew protection and cost.

The system has been modularly designed to support different user requirements. Parameters such as protection level, weapon interface, sighting system and position control mechanism can be configured to suit specific applications. The OMT can be configured to accommodate a range of weapons from 7.62mm and 12.7mm machine guns, to 40mm grenade launchers. Fitted with the appropriate weapon configuration, the OMT can be effectively utilised against enemy targets.

The basic designated system is equipped with manual turret drives and an optical episcope with integrated aiming mark. All round vision of the battlefield enables outstanding target detection capability, fast reaction time and orientation in urban conditions. Four smoke grenade launchers are fitted as standard.

The latest OMT-ED (Overhead Manned Turret - Electrical Drive) version is based on the basic system and is fitted with additional traverse electrical drives, enabling the operator to engage a target quickly and effortlessly.

"At Land Systems South Africa we continually use our own research and development funds to improve our products to ensure our customers receive the latest technology they require to keep safe on the battlefield," said Johan Steyn, Managing Director Land Systems South Africa.

When configured with a B7 level ballistic protection, the total mass is 550 kg excluding ammunition. The maximum height of 590mm above vehicle deck offers a low-profile solution with good situational awareness and high performance target identification of more than a kilometre, day or night.

Elevation and traverse hand wheels provide the standard human interface for turret movement. The OMT-ED version makes use of a dead-man switch and movement controller for rapid movement in traverse. An integrated brake system ensures operation while the vehicle is parked against a slope of 15 degrees. This added functionality, in combination with the high performance video sight, offers an affordable turret solution for light vehicles.

http://www.ameinfo.com/bae-systems-launches-manned-turret--330178
 
The International Defence Exhibition and Conference, IDEX, is the most strategically important tri-service defence exhibition in the world.

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Mercedes-Benz Military Vehicle
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Aerial refueling IDEX 2013
 
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