By Sarah Saad
The third edition of the Egypt Defence Expo (EDEX 2023) kicked off on Monday under the patronage of President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Abdel Fattah El Sisi.
The exhibition, which ends today, features 22 pavilions showcasing the latest in land, sea, and air military technology from over 400 exhibiting companies from 46 countries. It attracts 35,000 visitors, including high-level military delegations from over 100 countries.
The Egyptian Gazette, the oldest English-language daily newspaper in the Middle East, toured the Egypt Defence Expo, specifically in the Egyptian pavilion, to convey a clearer message to the whole world that the Egyptian defence and military industries have witnessed real development, befitting Egypt’s status.
Among these manufacturing developments was the modernisation carried out by the Egyptian Air Force in one of the training aircraft to carry out armed reconnaissance missions.
During the event, a documentary entitled ‘Will and Challenge’ was shown, portraying the Egyptian Navy’s years-long succession of achievements.
The documentary explained that it was mainly through elevating performance rates that the Egyptian Navy has reached its present diversity of capabilities and richness of specialisations with a major role by the local and joint military manufacturing in enhancing the Navy’s armament capability.
The film pointed out that the Alexandria Shipyard Company, an affiliate of the Egyptian Navy’s Marine Industries and Services Apparatus, has managed to make industrial leaps that match world’s highest levels and standards in building commercial and military ships.
It also noted how the Alexandria Shipyard undertakes a pioneering role in joint military manufacturing as so is illustrated by the manufacturing of the Gowind naval frigates in conjunction with the French side as well as the production of the MEKO A200 stealth frigates through joint manufacturing with Germany.
During the EDEX 2-23, the Engineering Industries Complex of the Armed Forces showed a number of armoured vehicles, which vary in technical and tactical specifications according to the purpose for which they were manufactured.
All vehicles are equipped with self-propelled launch platforms mounted with machine guns of different calibers, in addition to night vision devices.
Among these armoured vehicles are the Temsah 3, which was designed in co-operation with an American company on a Hummer 4×4 chassis, in addition to the design of the Temsah 4 in co-operation with the German company Mercedes on a Mercedes 4×4 chassis, while the Sherpa, which is Egyptian-made, was manufactured and designed in co-operation with a French company on a Renault 4×4 chassis.
Meanwhile, the Egyptian Ministry of Military Production unveiled, on the sidelines of the EDEX 2023, the Raad 200, the first Egyptian-made multiple launch rocket system (MLRS).
The rocket launcher, which has been designed and manufactured by the Ministry of Military Production, is mounted on a tracked platform with a length of 6.3 metres, a width of 2.8 metres, and a height of 2.8 metres. The system has a tare weight of 12.207 tonnes and can carry a payload of 4.7 tonnes.
It is fitted with a four-stroke 385 hp HD12 ZLG-M engine that gives the Raad 200 an operational range of 400 kilometres and a maximum speed of 45 km/h on-road and 27 km/h off-road. The system is armed with a launcher capable of carrying 30 122 mm artillery rockets. The Egyptian Army has successfully tested the system’s mobility and has demonstrated that it is capable of firing 20 rockets in 12 seconds.
The Helwan Factory for Advanced Industries, affiliated to the Arab Organisation for Industrialisation (AOI) had established two new international centres for helicopter overhaul, one of which specialises in overhauling eastern aircraft, and the other western. The move serves as a global certificate that Egypt possesses the two most modern helicopter overhaul centres in the region and the world.
Also on display at Egypt’s pavilion are 45 diverse locally made products from AOI that include ammunition, missiles, electronic equipment and aircraft.
The AOI also announced the production of Hafez family of air-dropped free-fall bombs weighing up to 2,000 pounds and can penetrate up to 180 cm of reinforced concrete.
These munitions were produced in co-operation with the Egyptian Air Force.
