Opinions & Interviews
Belarus to present about 100 new defense products at MILEX 2019
MINSK DISTRICT, 13 May (BelTA) – During the international defense technology expo MILEX 2019 Belarus will present about 100 samples of new weapons. A record high number of foreign delegations are expected to visit the expo, BelTA learned from Chairman of the State Military Industrial Committee of Belarus Roman Golovchenko after a rehearsal of the expo’s opening ceremony on 13 May.
The official mentioned strong interest in the expo. “We will welcome a record high number of official foreign delegations. At present their number stands at 59 but it may increase further in the last remaining days,” he said.
“The scale will be impressive. We’ve gathered about 170 exhibitors from ten countries. Certainly, the Belarusian exposition will be the largest one. We will roll out about 100 samples of new weapons and military hardware. They have not been demonstrated to anyone before or have been demonstrated to a limited number of people,” Roman Golovchenko said. He also added that the expo will occupy about 20,000m2 in Minsk Arena and outside it.
“It may be the first time when we will present not some individual samples but modular systems. For the last few years we’ve been working in a way to create integral weapon systems, particularly in the area of air defense,” Roman Golovchenko said. During this year’s MILEX Belarus will actually demonstrate an echeloned air defense system designed to handle threats at various altitudes and ranges.
Last year’s expo netted about $100 million worth of contracts. “We hope that this year’s expo will beat that number. Apart from hitting monetary goals we intend to show our products at their best. Opportunities to see these products are few and far between, particularly the cutting-edge ones. We primarily cater to our own Armed Forces and the customers, who don’t particularly want to show off their latest acquisitions,” the official noted.
Command and control systems will be some of the products Belarusian companies intend to present during the expo. Roman Golovchenko compared them to Skynet from the Terminator movie. “We will present a new generation of command and control systems. Every soldier, every combat unit will be tied into a common command system. We will present Belarusian Skynet in its new capacity.”
For instance, when tied into the Alliance system, the officer in charge of commanding a combat unit sees all its soldiers and their physical condition thanks to pulse and blood pressure monitors. The officer can see who has been injured and how much ammunition they have left. The officer can actually use the tablet to direct actions of his subordinates. It will also be possible to see a most complicated system for controlling the fire of artillery of all kinds and calibers. Such products can replace dozens of military specialists.
Roman Golovchenko said: “We are already receiving multiple preliminary applications for their demonstrations from our partners. Despite all the difficulties involved, field tests will be arranged for a number of foreign delegations during the expo. A great number of them are interested in how stable the systems are in the face of electronic warfare and suppressive fire.”
A rehearsal of the MILEX 2019 opening ceremony took place in the historical and cultural complex Stalin Line on 13 May. Some acts of the opening ceremony are dedicated to the 75th anniversary of Belarus’ liberation from the Nazi. Modern weapon systems and military hardware, which were made and commissioned by the Belarusian army in the last few years, were used as part of the ceremony. The weapon systems will be used as part of a demonstration of an operation meant to destroy a militant group.
The 9th international defense technology expo MILEX will take place in Minsk on 15-18 May. The exposition will be located in Minsk Arena and the surrounding outdoor area. It will be built around brand new or promising samples of weapon systems, military hardware, special hardware, which are in demand on the global market and demonstrate capabilities of the Belarusian defense industry. The expo’s solemn opening ceremony will take place at the historical and cultural complex Stalin’s Line on 15 May. The 8th international scientific conference on military technology problems, defense, security, and dual-use technologies will take place as part of MILEX 2019.
MILEX is one of the most promising and significant expos in Belarus. In terms of its scope, the composition and the level of participants, the availability of exhibition infrastructure it is believed to be one of the largest expos in Eastern Europe. The organizers are the State Military Industrial Committee of Belarus, the Belarusian Defense Ministry, and the national expo center BelExpo.
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