Arms race dominates Dubai air show; U.S. to showcase F-22 Raptor plane

But it was the Gulf region's role as the world's busiest arms market that dominated day one of the largest Middle Eastern showcase for aviation. Among a raft of dignitaries and businessmen, United Arab Emirates Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, who is also ruler of Dubai, toured the Boeing Apache AH-64D attack helicopter, whose presence on the tarmac among combat jets highlighted the military stakes in the region.

“With more threats and continued tensions, you will have continued demand for new systems and new capabilities, and that is why we have seen ongoing interest in upgrading and renewing fighter fleets,” Riad Kahwaji, chief executive of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis, told Reuters.

“So long as tension is there, and the situation with Iran is not solved, and there is the threat of terrorism and so forth, I think there will be an ongoing arms race,” he added.

Raptor On Show

Others reported to be looking to renew fighter fleets include Kuwait and Oman, while sources told Reuters in July that Saudi Arabia was looking to expand a recent purchase of Eurofighter Typhoons and was talking to Boeing about F-15s.

In a surprise decision, the United States was preparing to display the world's most advanced fighter, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, months after axing a display at the world's largest air show in Paris.

The jet is not on sale abroad, but its only other major foreign appearance in Britain last year created a buzz and was seen as a possibly deliberate reminder, for buyers of other U.S. hardware and potential enemies alike, of its military reach.

The biennial air show is taking place a few miles from the mouth of the Gulf and the border with Iran, which remains locked in a dispute with the West over its nuclear program.

800 On Board

Ethiopian Airlines meanwhile looked poised to kick off the civil side of the four-day show with a US$2.9 billion Airbus aircraft order, industry sources said. The airline drafted a request for 12 A350-900s in July and was expected to aim for maximum publicity for its expansion by signing a final deal in public on Sunday. Confirmation of the deal is a boost for Airbus as it pushes orders for the future mid-sized jet above the 500 mark.

But rival Boeing remains in front in the lucrative market for modern fuel-saving planes after notching up 840 sales of its rival 787 Dreamliner, despite ongoing production delays.

Air Austral, based in France's overseas territory of La Reunion in the Indian Ocean, was also expected to firm up a provisional order for two Airbus A380 super-jumbos worth US$650 million. It is the first airline to order a no-frills version of the world's largest airliner, designed to carry 840 passengers when fitted only with economy seats.

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