Defence firms compete for Middle East, Africa markets at Egypt arms expo

Quadcopters, electromagnetic rifles and an AI-powered navigation system were among the wares displayed at one of Africa and the Middle East’s biggest arms expos, as defence companies jostle to break into regional markets increasingly defined by drone warfare.

Cheap, deadly “unmanned aerial vehicles,” or UAVs, have been rapidly developed in the war in Ukraine and also transformed recent conflicts from Ethiopia and Sudan to Libya and Yemen. That has created potentially lucrative opportunities for industry behemoths and start-ups alike in a market in which countries are spending billions.

The slickly branded, and occasionally outlandish,  products featured prominently at Egypt’s biennial EDEX trade fair, held over four days in Cairo’s suburbs last week.

Uniformed delegates from countries as diverse as Kenya, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia window-shopped at flashy displays by companies from Russia, China, the United States, India, Pakistan, South Korea, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and beyond.

EDEX said it featured over 450 exhibitors, putting it on par with South Africa’s Africa Aerospace and Defence expo, but well behind the Middle East’s biggest industry fair, Abu Dhabi’s IDEX.