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Chakrit Samithinan |
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Chakrit Samithinan & Saichol Kraiamat |
(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
UAE Marching Band (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Boeing 737 Max 8 Scat Airlines (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Boeing 777X-9 (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Boeing-747-412 Aquilien International (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Bombardier Global 7500 (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Airbus A 220-300 Angola Airlines (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Airbus A 400M Atlas Royal AirForce (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Aribus A 400M Armée der l'Air (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Aribus A 400M Armée der l'Air (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Airbus-Sirtap Drone (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
The Dubai Airshow took place from 17. November 17 to 21. November 2025 at Dubai World Central (DWC) airport. While not yet quite on the level of Farnborough or Paris when it comes to announcing new aircraft orders, the Dubai event is steadily growing and more than 1’500 exhibitors from 115 different nations were represented. Also, the number of visitors are said to have grown to almost 250’000 which is very high considering that the public is not allowed to enter the exhibition halls and the static display. Commercial visitors had to purchase tickets in advance costing between USD 200 and USD 300 per person to gain access to the exhibition. The public was able to buy tickets for a grandstand called Sky View which had been built not too far from the exhibition center.
Most of the major aerospace companies were represented in Dubai with all major countries either having a large booth inside the hall or in their own pavilions which were located outside the hall near the static park. USA, France and Turkey occupied their usual large display area being joined this year by China with a large representation by COMAC and the China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC) with their Wing Loong-X and other drones. Russia was, same as last time, in a separate pavilion outside the building where they emphasized the Sukhoi Su-75 Checkmate in model form including an unmanned version of it alongside models for the export version of the Su-57 Felon.
(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
JF-17C Thunder Block III (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Kamov KA-50 (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Suchoj Su-57 (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Ilyushin IL-76MD-90A (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Aero L-39NG Skyfox Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Embraer KC-390-Millenium (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Embraer KC-390-Millenium (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Embraer KC-390-Millenium (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Junkers A-60 (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Advanced Air mobility was a major theme of the exhibition showcasing the latest creations in drones and eVTOL technology which were presented in the exhibition hall by all the major companies engaged in these fields, be it for civilian or military uses. The UAE company EDGE presented an incredible array of different equipment from handheld devices to larger examples of the size of light aircrafts.
This year, new aircraft orders turned out to be higher than two years ago. The standout order came from Emirates who committed for 65 Boeing 777-9 and 8 Airbus A350-900. In a surprise move, flyDubai who has been operating exclusively Boeing 737 variants announced a stunning order for 150 Airbus 321neos. They also intend to obtain 75 Boeing 737MAX aircrafts with options for another 75 planes. Not to be totally left out, Etihad ordered another 16 Airbus aircrafts comprising of a mix of A330-900, Airbus A350-1000 and A350F. Civilian aircraft sales completely dominated the scene as very few military deals were announced, none for fighter jets. However, there were discussions going on concerning a possible sale of the F-35 fighter aircraft to Saudi Arabia and possibly other middle-east countries friendly with the USA.
Dassault Falcon 6X (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Comac C-919 (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Wing Loong X RPAS (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Boeing-777-300ER- Emirates(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Boeing-777-300ER- Emirates(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Exhibition and Static Park
The Static Park was, in terms of space occupied, completely dominated by the many commercial aircrafts, mostly from middle-eastern countries (Emirates, Etihad, flyDubai etc) and the many military exhibits were almost a bit lost among the very large civilian airliners. Airbus was of course present with their A350-1000 and how could it be different, Boeing was present with their 777X-9. Both were also in the daily flying display same as two years ago. In addition, COMAC from China decided to send two C-919 and a C-909 to Dubai. One of the C-919 was on static in the colours of China Eastern while the second one was a business jet version of the factory. The factory C-919 was featured in the flying display. Among the military suppliers, prominently represented were two Airbus A-400M, one from the Armee de L’Air and one from the Royal Air Force. Also present in its attractive yellow colour scheme was the C-17A of the UAE Government with the interior equipped as a field hospital. While the large transport aircrafts dominated the field visually, more interest was developed by the smaller types of transport aircrafts such as the Embraer 390 Millenium and the Airbus CN295. In particular, the Embraer C390 Millenium is for many air forces a logical replacement for the aging C-130 Hercules, and Embraer is presently vying for an order from the UAE Air Force who have a plan to replace their aging C-130s.
F-35 Mock-up (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Fairchild A-10C Thunderbolt II(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Boeing KC-46A Pegasus (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Sikorska MH-60S U.S. Navy (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Mc Donnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Mc Donnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Hughes AH-64E Apache U.S: Army (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Hughes AH-64E Apache U.S: Army (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Sikorsky MH-60M Black Hawk (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Unlike two years ago when only a few US aircrafts were on display, this year’s US participation was somewhat enhanced in that a higher number of aircrafts and helicopters from Air Force, Army and Navy were presented. Among them were F-15E Strike Eagle, C-130J Super Hercules, C-46A Pegasus, A-10C Thunderbolt, and helicopters from the three members of the US armed forces. They were the Sikorsky MH-60S Seahawk from the US Navy as well as the UH-60M Blackhawk and the Boeing AH-64E Apache from the US Army. The F-35A was only represented in mock-up form but long queues of interested people formed in front of the exhibit with a view to gain short access to the cockpit seat.
Flightwin FWA-1500 VTOL UAV (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Comac (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Dassault UCAS Drone (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
EDGE Jernas-M Drone (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Hongdu L-15A Fursan Al Emirate (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
F-16E Desert Facon UAE (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Casa-Nutario CN-295M UAE(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Boeing CH-47F Chinook UAE (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Among the fighter jets on the static park, the two rivals of the Indian Sub-continent, i.e. India and Pakistan, displayed their HAL Tejas and the JF-17 Thunder III quite separate from each other while the UAE Air Force showed the F-16E Desert Falcon and the Mirage 2000 both of which also featured in the flying display. Star among the fighters on display was clearly the Sukhoi Su-57 Felon. Only one aircraft, in fact the 9th prototype, was present so they showed the aircraft in the static park whenever it was not needed for the flying display. The Russians also displayed the Ilyushin IL-76MD-90A, the Kamov Ka-32A firefighting helicopter, the Kazan ANSAT utility helicopter and the Yak-130 in an updated version. Interestingly, Rostec announced during the Dubai Airshow the sale of two Su-57E to Algeria. India is also said to be interested in the Su-57.
Cessna Ce-208 Caravan UAE(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Leonardo AW139 UAE (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
SAAB Global Eye UAE(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Mc Donnell Douglas C-17A UAE (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Mc Donnell Douglas C-17A UAE (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Mc Donnell Douglas C-17A UAE (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Bell 429 UAE Police(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
Farewell until 2027 (Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan
