China Targets Middle East with Air Defense Systems, FC-31 Stealth Jet at IDEX 2023

China’s large display at IDEX 2013 includes models of the FC-31 (J-31) stealth jet, LY-80B and FD-2000 air defense systems, besides Mountain Cat all-terrain vehicles and several drones.

Led by China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND), nine arms trade companies are participating in the 16th edition of IDEX in Abu Dhabi, the administration said in a press release sent to the Global Times.

The Chinese group has broken records in terms of the scale, the scope and the number of exhibits. It is displaying nearly 500 types of equipment covering the traditional security fields of land, sea, air, space and electronics, as well as newly developing fields like cyberspace, intelligence, drones and anti-drones.

It also marks the first time Chinese arms firms have participated in a major foreign defense expo since the country loosened foreign travel restrictions this year as the pandemic subsided, observers said.

Dozens of products made their first foreign appearances, including the LY-80B air defense system and the Mountain Cat 2000 all-terrain mobile combined arms battalion, said the SASTIND.

Multiple types of air, ship and land drones as well as anti-drone systems, the FD-2000 air defense system, the FC-31 stealth fighter jet, the VT-4 main battle tank, the AR3 multiple launch rocket system, and electronic warfare and command and control systems are on display.

"The security environment in the Middle East is very complicated, with many countries having a need to comprehensively enhance their combat capabilities. In the meantime, many countries in the region do not have complete defense industries of their own, so they require importing advanced equipment including fighter jets, tactical missiles, warships, tanks and armored vehicles," Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military expert, was quoted as saying by the Global Times.

Chinese arms firms can provide whole systems of weapons and equipment with excellent performances and cost efficiency, making Chinese products very attractive, the expert said.

This year, the IDEX has attracted more than 1,350 companies from around 65 countries and regions.