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ABU DHABI, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing International Defense Exhibition and Conference (IDEX), the biggest of its kind in the Middle East, saw the value of deals on Monday amounted to 11.34 billion dirham (3.08 billion U.S. dollars).
United Arab Emirates (UAE) Staff Brigadier-General Rashid Mohammed Al-Shamsi, spokesperson of the 13th edition of IDEX, announced Monday another 10 new deals worth more than 6.92 billion dirham, after 21 deals worth 4.42 billion dirham were sealed and officially announced on Sunday.
Five of the deals this day were reached among local companies and the remaining five among international firms, according to the spokesperson.
Swedish aerospace and defense giant SAAB received an order worth 236 million dollars from an undisclosed country to deliver new airborne G6000 SRSS, referring to swing role surveillance system, aircraft and provide additional supply of spare parts for ground hardware and perishable materials.
U.S. defense firm Raytheon clinched a deal valued at 167 million dollars to deliver missiles; Russian company Rosoboronexport will deliver anti-armor ammunition worth 709 million dollars to an undisclosed buyer.
Italian aerospace and defense firm Leonardo said earlier Monday that it has been selected from an international competition to provide radars of the type Aesa to the French army in a "multi-million dollar contract" without specifying the exact sum.
The host country UAE spent for its air forces 11.72 million dirham on the ammunition from local supplier International Golden Group (IGG), which has started a cooperation to develop and arm unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) with Aselsan, the largest Turkish defense electronics company.
Al-Shamsi said the first two days have seen increasing deals from the last fair in 2015, stressing that IDEX 2017 offers a platform to engage with stakeholders, foster deals, build partnerships and witness the latest defense innovation and technology.
The five-day IDEX attracted 1,235 firms from 57 countries to exhibit their products and services, with estimated 100,000 professional visitors.
