[Military Exhibition “IDEX 2025”] The Power of the Latest Weapons Displayed in Abu Dhabi UAE

The Middle East’s largest defense exhibition, “IDEX 2025,” is being held

“We have succeeded in creating one of the world’s finest tanks based on the know-how gained from the war in Ukraine—”

Before the T-90MS tank, which stood imposing as a Russian military official spoke these words, long lines of visitors formed daily.

In Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, the ADNEC Center, a massive exhibition space equivalent to about three Tokyo Domes, hosted the Middle East’s largest defense exhibition, “IDEX 2025,” from February 17 to 21. Held biennially, the event is a national affair, organized by the UAE President and Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

This year’s exhibition saw participation from over 1,560 companies representing 65 countries. At various booths, sales representatives in suits conducted negotiations in front of actual weaponry. However, the major topic even before the event began was the participation of Russia’s defense industry, which is under Western sanctions.

Among them was Rostec, a Russian military company displaying the T-90MS. Although the T-90 series has been in service since the 1990s and is not a new weapon, it attracted the attention of arms dealers due to the updates made based on lessons from three years of war with Ukraine. A Russian military official explained:

“Russia has lost 179 T-90 series tanks in the battle against Ukraine, with many being destroyed by drone attacks, including suicide drones. To counter this, we have covered the turret with a wire cage to prevent direct impact on the hull from aerial attacks. Additionally, we have equipped it with electronic warfare systems to jam signals and prevent drones from detecting the tank’s location. This is a tank specialized for modern warfare, created through much bloodshed.”

A short walk from the Rostec booth, the Ukrainian company Ukrspecexport also had a booth, displaying drone weaponry that had inflicted heavy losses on Russian forces. Some exhibits even had captions such as “Successfully launched 2,000 attacks against Russia.” The fierce conflict between the two nations extended to Abu Dhabi, where they engaged in a trade war of death.

One noticeable trend at this year’s exhibition was the large number of countries and companies showcasing drone weaponry. Norinco, a Chinese state-owned arms exporter, exhibited various drones, ranging from small models that drop grenades from the air to autonomous unmanned ground vehicles.

Perhaps in an attempt to counteract the negative image of the Ukraine invasion, the booth of Russian Helicopters featured female companions dressed in revealing outfits—an uncommon sight in Arab society—smiling and waving at visitors. A long line also formed there as attendees sought to take photos with them.

“Perhaps because business is business, Russian and Ukrainian company representatives could be seen chatting and laughing together inside the venue,” said a salesman from a participating company.

Next year, a similar large-scale defense exhibition is scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia. There, too, a battle of smiles and strategic maneuvering is expected to unfold.

From the March 14-21, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”