EDEX 2018: Today opening of first Defense Exhibition in Egypt.

Today opening of EDEX 2018, the first edition of Egypt International Defense Exhibition that takes place in Cairo from the 3 to 6 December 2018. The event was inaugurated this December 3, 2018, by the Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.

Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi on the booth of French Company Naval Group at EDEX 2018, Egypt Defense Exhibition in Cairo, December 3, 2018. (Picture source EDEX 2018)

For this first edition of EDEX, 373 international companies from 41 countries present latest innovations and technologies of military products in the fields of land, air and navy.

Many foreign delegations are in Cairo to visit EDEX 2018 including 10 defense ministries from the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Sudan, France, Greece, Cyprus, South Sudan, Cameroon, Somalia and South Korea. There are also military delegations from all over the world including Defense Ministers the United States, China, Russia, France, Germany, Italy and UAE.

One pavilion is only dedicated for the Egyptian defense industry including arms and equipment jointly manufactured by the Armed Forces, the National Organization for Military Production (NOMP), and the Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI).

Since many years, the development of the Egyptian military industry has growing and could become the most important in North Africa. State-owned enterprises, under control of the Armament Authority headed by a major general, are the main domestic producers of Egypt's defense systems.

Military products produced in Egypt include small caliber and heavy ammunition, mortars, mines, grenades and other explosives, antitank rockets, rocket motors, radars and electronic equipment, smoke and pyrotechnic devices, rifles, pistols (Beretta licensee) and machine guns, jet trainer aircraft (Alpha and Tucano), armored personnel carriers, Alpha jet engines, field and aircraft communications equipment, Gazelle helicopters and engines, gyroscopes, weapon sights, binoculars, periscopes, tanks, MLRs, and artillery pieces. Egypt also produces a full range of weapons and combat vehicles under license as the M1A1 Abrams from United States and artillery systems as the D-30 122mm towed from Russia.

Egypt remains the leading African military power, according to the 2018 edition of the ranking of world armies, published by the US specialized site of Global Fire Power (GFP). Egypt’s annual military spending is anticipated to reach $5.6bn by 2022, witnessing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.58%, according to a report by Strategic Defense Intelligence (SDI).

Egypt continues the modernization of its armed forces and is expected to acquire multirole aircraft, helicopters, submarines, radar and surveillance equipment, and cyber-security systems in the next few years.

Official opening ceremony for EDEX 2018, the first edition of Egypt Defense Exhibition in Cairo, December 3, 2018 (Picture source Army Recognition)