The static display showcases the latest in commercial, military, utility and business aircraft. Airliner aficionados can see Emirates’s newly delivered Boeing 777-300ER and a company Airbus A380-800, the world’s largest passenger airliner. Canada’s Bombardier is showcasing its new CSeries 300 regional airliner, flydubai has a next-generation Boeing 737 Max 8 open for inspection and Sukhoi is here with its new Superjet 100 regional airliner. UAE-based UAS Trip Support is displaying the “Dream Jet,” the world’s first VIP-configured 787, now based in Dubai and available for charter, while Boeing is debuting the latest version of that platform, the 787-10.
Among the military aircraft, Japan’s Kawasaki C-2 long-range twinjet military transport, which entered service last year, is being shown for the first time in the region, and the Chengdu Cloud Shadow, a medium-altitude, long-endurance, jet-powered UAV from China’s AVIC, is making its inaugural appearance outside of China. Italy’s Leonardo is showing a cabin mockup of its AW609 tiltrotor in search-and-rescue configuration, a platform slated for operation by the UAE’s Search & Rescue forces.
Some 50 business aircraft are also on display, from the Cirrus SR22 single-engine piston to large-cabin jets including the Bombardier Global 6000, Falcon 8X and Gulfstream G650ER.
Daily Air Show
The stars of this year’s daily aerobatic displays include the PLAAF August 1st demonstration team from China performing in J-10As, the Russian Knights in Sukhoi Su-30Ms and the UAE’s own Al Fursan team in their Aermacchi MB-339NATs.
A U.S. Air Force F-16, UAE Mirage 2000 and French Air Force Dassault Rafale will also showcase their capabilities, while Russia’s Sukhoi Su-35, which has both canards and thrust-vectoring engines, will demonstrate its maneuverability. Additionally, the Emerati-Brazilian Calidus B-250 Bader, a light attack turboprop advanced trainer designed by Brazil’s Novaer for UAE-based Calidus, is making its world debut in the show.
Rotorcraft and UAVs are also featured in the aerial display, including one each from Turkey: Turkish Aerospace Industry’s T129 attack helicopter, in its Dubai Air Show debut, and the TAI Anka MALE Class UAV, respectively.
But the air show isn’t restricted to military aircraft. Many of the airliners and utility aircraft on static display will also be showcased in the air, including an Airbus A350, and a Beriev Be-200ES amphibious twinjet that will demonstrate its fire-fighting ability with dramatic water drops.
Exhibitor Displays
Inside the exhibition hall, the 1,200-plus vendors include more than 40 attending the airshow for the first time. Organizers project attendance will jump by 9 percent over the record set in 2015, totaling some 72,000 attendees by show’s end.