SonyD Subsidiary DefenseKorea to Jointly Participate with UAE's Khalidus at 'Seoul ADEX 2023'

Defense Korea, a subsidiary of SonyD, a KOSDAQ-listed company led by CEO Choi Seong-hoon, announced on the 16th that it will jointly participate with the UAE defense company Calidus by opening a 'UAE Exclusive Pavilion' at 'Seoul ADEX 2023' (Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition).

Seoul ADEX 2023 is the largest comprehensive trade exhibition specializing in aerospace and defense in Korea. Held from October 17 to 22 at Seongnam Seoul Airport, this exhibition will be the largest ever, with 550 companies from 35 countries participating and 2,320 exhibition booths set up over 250,000 square meters.

More than 100 types of equipment will be displayed, including the domestically produced fighter jet KF-21, unveiled to the public for the first time, and the United States' world-class fighter jet F-22. Foreign delegations from 55 countries with 114 participants will attend, and the event boasts the largest scale ever for Korea’s representative defense exhibition, with defense ministers from nine countries including Malaysia, Australia, and the UAE, as well as air force chiefs of staff from 14 countries in attendance.

At the exhibition, Calidus plans to meet directly with military attach?s from various countries stationed in Korea and key domestic defense industry officials to discuss business cooperation plans, having sent invitations to Korean government agencies and embassies in Korea. Defense Korea and Calidus will showcase unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) and low-altitude defense systems at Seoul ADEX 2023, focusing their efforts not only on promoting their technological capabilities but also on creating diverse business opportunities with domestic defense companies.

Recently, Calidus granted Defense Korea the authority to promote business opportunities, including marketing Korean military equipment and fulfilling offset trade obligations. Supported by the Korea Aerospace Industries Association (KAIA), SonyD, Lin Ventures, DUMBUL UNIVERSE, PIAP, JT, and Lin Ventures, Defense Korea will open the UAE Exclusive Pavilion and introduce Calidus’s excellent defense equipment to the Korean market.

Calidus is a 100% pure UAE defense company that integrates military technologies from various countries to elevate its aerospace and ground defense equipment to a world-class level. Its representative defense equipment includes the ‘B-250 trainer,’ the first developed domestically, and the Wahshi armored vehicle. The UAE Ministry of Defense received the Calidus B-250 light attack aircraft in 2019, operating it equipped with domestically produced weapons and ammunition, and the Wahshi armored vehicle, which will be introduced to the Korean market, has also been supplied to the UAE Ministry of Defense.

The Wahshi armored vehicle that Defense Korea will introduce to the Korean market is known to have far superior performance compared to existing armored vehicles in terms of payload, mobility, protection, and firepower, capable of conducting both ground and amphibious operations.

Calidus plans to supply the Wahshi Air Defense System (WADS), a customized system combining the Wahshi armored vehicle with air defense systems such as the 57mm Remote Operated Weapon System (ROCS) capable of countering drone incursions and the German Rheinmetall 35mm automatic air defense gun system ‘Orion SkyRanger.’

A Defense Korea official said, “This exhibition will serve as an opportunity to expand exchanges between UAE defense companies and leading Korean defense companies,” adding, “We hope it will further publicize Calidus’s willingness to collaborate with Korean defense companies.” He emphasized, “The WADS developed by Calidus is a customized system that can respond much more actively to drone battlefields and will be the latest countermeasure solution suitable for drone (UAV) intrusions.”

A Calidus representative stated, “Under the ‘Special Strategic Alliance’ established between Korea and the UAE this year, we have high expectations for entering the Korean market,” adding, “We are not just planning to sell equipment but also intend to build a maintenance factory in Korea.” He further explained, “Calidus aims to participate directly in this exhibition because it wants to cooperate long-term not only in armored vehicles but also in the aerospace sector with the Korean military and Korean defense companies.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.