In historical history, Israel markets the various military hardware and technology it has to offer for export in the United Arab Emirates.
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)
IAI
Boaz Levy, President and CEO of IAI, said his company praises the normalization agreement reached between Israel and the UAE, expecting it to open “a window for extended cooperation, knowledge sharing, investment technology promotion, development and segmentation together. ”
The Harop unmanned fighter aircraft is on display at Israel’s IAI Chalet at the International … [+]
AFP through Getty Images
The levy even went so far as to predict that IDEX is going to be a “harbinger of long-term activity in the UAE and the region as a whole.”
“We’re excited about IDEX,” said Sharon Bitton, VP of Marketing at IAI.
“Not to be a bomb or a motivator, but it is a historic event and not just for marketing,” he said. “This is one of the first fruits of the peace treaties between Israel and the UAE, and it is a great opportunity for the Israeli defense industry, of which the IAI is a part. ”
“So we are excited about the opportunity to come to Abu Dhabi.”
Bitton also noted that IAI sees its involvement in IDEX as a “strategic opportunity” to build close defense ties with the UAE and other countries participating in IDEX.
“The UAE is not just a marketing or regional target for us,” he said. “As soon as you go and succeed in the UAE, you will find doors opening up for you in many other areas.”
As a result, Bitton says IAI is looking at the bigger picture rather than focusing on marketing specific products.
“We only see the UAE as a market,” he said. “We see it as an area of co-operation. We’re not just talking about this or selling that product. We’re talking about joint ventures, we’re talking about collaborations. ”
Bitton also noted that the UAE is strongly focused on acquiring the technical knowledge required for the manufacture of weapons equipment. In this area, he said, “IAI has as much to offer as we have in many other countries.”
In the past, IAI, for example, has developed a Barak 8 central air defense missile system together with India.
Today, IAI plans to collaborate with the UAE on a number of projects, both civilian and military, with the “bespoke modern technology, going from land to place.”
Asked about the potential for joint Israeli-UAE military projects, Bitton replied, “not only [that], but of course it is. ”
About 75 percent of the products IAI manufactures are exported and manufactured specifically for their foreign clients. The various equipment it sells earns around $ 4 billion annually.
In addition to developing Barak 8 missiles with India, IAI has also sold LORA ballistic missiles and Harop weaponry (also known as “suicide” or “kamikaze” drones) to Azerbaijan. The UAE appears to have been the first Arab country to establish such extensive, if not greater, defense ties with Israel.
So IAI’s involvement in IDEX could eventually go down as the first step in creating those historic connections.