Sultan bin Tahnoon attends the air shows of UMEX and Simtex exhibitions in Sweihan Hills

• 6 national and international companies showcase their air capabilities in the unmanned systems sector.
• Land and sea displays simulate different scenarios for unmanned systems in the defence, environmental, civil and humanitarian fields. 
• Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority showcases Maigres robot, designed to deal with fires, resuscitation and emergencies. 

Abu Dhabi, January  24. Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi, His Excellency Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Pride Office, attended the air shows of UMEX and SimTEX 2024 at Sweihan Hills in Al Ain.  He was received by Major General Saeed Rashid Al Shehhi, Commander of the Land Forces, Major General Saeed Ali Al Ali, Commander of Joint Aviation, Brigadier Nasser Ahmed Al Obaidli, Vice Chairman of the Higher Organising Committee of UMEX and SimTEX 2024, and a number of senior officers in the Ministry of Defence.

Organised by ADNEC Group in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Defence and strategic partner EDGE Group, the two exhibitions continued for the second consecutive day, with wide local and international participation from companies specialised in the unmanned systems, training and simulation sector from 35 countries around the world, and a high-level presence of decision-makers, officials and specialists in the defence, military, civil and commercial industries.

For the first time, live demonstrations by leading companies were showcased at ADNEC‘s Grandstand and Water Channel, alongside traditional aerial displays at Tilal Sweihan on January 24. The ADNEC Grandstand area was transformed to simulate a dynamic real-world environment for these new features, highlighting ADNEC’s capabilities as a leading world class venue for defence exhibitions.

Focusing on defence, environmental, civil, and humanitarian applications, UMEX and SimTEX demonstrated challenging environments for unmanned systems. At the ADNEC Grandstand, the Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority presented the Maigres GmbH Robot, designed for firefighting, recovery operations, and emergencies in municipal or industrial sectors. This versatile robot is intended to minimise human risk in hazardous situations, safeguarding emergency personnel.

The traditional aerial demonstrations taking place at Tilal Sweihan featured six national and international companies, most notably EDGE Group, the strategic partner for UMEX and SimTEX, which had several aerial demonstrations on the day.

The ADNEC Water Channel featured various unmanned boats and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) for scientific, civil, and defence purposes. Through the underwater demonstrations, crowds of delegates and industry leaders were able to gain a better understanding of these unmanned systems’ uses and capabilities in different marine situations. Atlas Elektronik provided a demonstration of the SeaFox, an UUV that can be used in underwater damage estimation, intelligence, route survey, maritime boundary control and harbour surveillance missions.

The live demonstrations across the three venues displayed the latest in aerial drones, unmanned light aircraft, ground vehicles, and marine systems from prominent local and international civil and defence industry companies. These demonstrations aimed to highlight the capabilities of advanced technology in fields such as military aid and environmental research.