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Africa’s largest defense and aviation exhibition, known as Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD), 2024, is to be held in South Africa from 18-22 September 2024. AAD -2024 will feature some Russian companies including Rosoboronexport.
Africa’s largest defense and aviation exhibition, known as Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD), 2024, is set to be held in South Africa from 18-22 September 2024. AAD -2024 will feature some Russian companies including Rosoboronexport. First held in 1975, the Africa Aerospace and Defense (AAD) is Africa’s only aerospace and defense expo that combines both a trade exhibition and an air show. Both countries have maintained a military pact with each other since 1995, when a cooperation agreement was signed. AAD is Africa’s only aerospace and defense expo, held every two years.
At least six Russian companies including the state-owned Rosoboronexport will be present at the AAD 2024 event which will be held at the Waterkloof Air Force Base near the country’s capital, Pretoria. This is hardly the first play Rosoboronexport has made in the African market, as two years ago, the company indicated an acute interest in expanding its influence in Africa, using the same platform.
AAD 2024 will showcase about 400 of the best Russian products for all branches of the armed forces, police and special operations units, security equipment, and cyber security solutions, as well as a wide range of civilian products, stated Rosoboronexport Director General Alexander Mikheev.
The company committed to showcasing Russian-made hardware for land forces including the T-90S main battle tank, TOS-1A heavy flamethrower system, Smerch multiple rocket launcher system, Msta-S self-propelled howitzer with a standard NATO 155 mm gun, BTR-80A, and BTR-82A armoured personnel carriers, various versions of the Tigr and Typhoon wheeled armoured vehicles, as well as the Kornet-EM anti-tank guided missile system. Small arms, including Kalashnikov AK-100-, AK-200- series, AK-12, AK-15 and AK-19 assault rifles, and body armour.
Russia’s military was looking into the idea of sending Tupolev Tu-160 bombers to Air Force Base Waterkloof for the program. To this effect, seven Russian military officers came to Waterkloof on July 22 to look into the area, according to an article written by Captain Tebogo August for the SA Air Force’s Ad Astra magazine. The Tu-160 bombers initially reached South Africa in October 2019, during the Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi.
Russia and South Africa’s agreements on military-technical cooperation and cooperation between their respective defense ministries were officially validated in 1995. In August 2018 Russia and the Southern African Development Community signed a military-technical cooperation pact in addition to the BRICS summit in South Africa.
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https://trendsnafrica.com/?s=Africa+Aerospace+and+Defence+%28AAD%29
The Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) is Africa’s only aerospace and defence expo that combines both a trade exhibition and an air show. Held biennially in the City of Tshwane – South Africa’s administrative capital, the AAD Expo is one of South Africa’s largest contributors to the country’s GDP in show years, and is regarded as a national asset.
