Israel Aerospace, Rafael to Exhibit at Dubai Airshow for the First Time Ever

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), a company that is completely state-owned by the government of Israel and Rafael will for the first time exhibit at the Dubai Airshow taking place from November 14-16.

Israel-U.A.E. ties have expanded in technologically-sensitive fields in the year since the signing of Abraham Accords, a deal brokered by the United States of America. For instance, the two countries signed a historic space exploration cooperation agreement at the 2020 Expo Dubai in October and will collaborate on the “Beresheet II” mission destined for the Moon.

While attending Dubai Airshow, IAI plans to expand its trategic collaboration in the region by signing new cooperation agreements with local companies and broadening existing partnerships that have been signed during the past year, including an agreement on cargo conversions with the UAE’s Etihad Engineering and on aircraft maintenance with Bahrain’s Gulf Air, amongst other.

As a leading global airshow bringing together the industry’s best companies and brightest minds, the Dubai Airshow provides IAI with the opportunity to come together with the UAE, the Gulf countries more broadly, and other global companies to share its innovative world-class solutions and develop new collaborations, IAI said in a statement.

“A year after the signing of the Abraham Accords, IAI is thrilled to participate in the Dubai Airshow and to broaden cooperation with business partners in the Gulf region,” said IAI CEO and President Boaz Levy.

“Already in the last year, IAI exhibited in Dubai CyberTech and in IAC Dubai, sharing our innovative cyber and space solutions. We believe that there are countless opportunities to work together, share our knowledge, and develop new defense and civilian solutions with our partners in the UAE and broader Gulf region, and together, to create a brighter future.”

Rafael hopes showcase its aerial defense systems, as well as its satellite intelligence and communications systems, at this year’s expo. Among solutions being presented at the event is their MIC4AD command & control system – which optimizes resource management between defensive systems and is currently deployed by 28 air forces around the world – and SPYDER, a surface-to-air missile system designed to counter attacks by aircraft, helicopters, UAVs and precision-guided munitions.

The company has also launched a joint venture with G42, a leading artificial intelligence and cloud computing company based in Abu Dhabi.