By Alexander Cornwell
DUBAI (Reuters) – Russian arms makers appear to have been kept to a low profile at this week’s Dubai Airshow, underscoring how the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has sought to balance its ties with the West and Moscow.
Unlike past shows, Russian participation has been limited to the very end of the outdoor area where state-arms makers are exhibiting inside their own pavilion rather than in the main hall.
“We have been put a bit away, outside the main pavilion,” said a Russian arms industry executive, who declined to be named as they were not authorised to speak to the media.
The executive said they did not know why Russian firms had apparently been deliberately kept away from the main exhibition area where companies like U.S. firm Lockheed Martin are present.
Still, an aerobatics display of Russian Su35S fighter jets went ahead, the TASS news agency reported on Monday.
Rostec, United Aircraft Corp and Almaz-Anty are among the Russian firms participating at the show this week.
A representative for the Dubai Airshow, a major biennial commercial and defence industry showpiece, did not immediately respond to emailed questions on the Russian participation.
Russian arms makers have in past used the Dubai event to showcase their firepower, with executives often claiming they were gaining market share in a region traditionally close to the U.S. At the last show in 2021, Russia displayed a Sukhoi Su-75 Checkmate prototype internationally for the first time.
The UAE, a Gulf Arab power, has not adopted Western sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, and has resisted U.S. pressure to break links with Moscow.
Inside the Russian pavilion, combat gear and models of fighter jets and combat helicopters are on display this week.
The Russian executive said military delegations from the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Americas had visited the pavilion so far. He declined to say which countries.
Outside the Russian pavilion, a Russian KA-52E combat helicopter is on show next to a Russian IL-76MD-90AE military transport aircraft and a RVV-MD2 missile for stealth fighter jets.
U.S. Air Force aircraft on show at the week-long event have been placed at the opposite end of the outdoor display area.
Russian state arms makers participated in February at a major arms fare in Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital, where they were similarly kept separated from the main exhibition area.
(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Mark Potter)
