Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) management roped in Defence Foreign Relations, the diplomatic arm of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF), to give further impetus to next month’s exhibition at Air Force Base (AFB) Waterkloof in Centurion.
The Military Attaché and Advisory Corps (MAAC) gathered earlier this week at the officer’s mess across the road from the base for a briefing on, what an SA Soldier magazine reporter wrote, were developments made and “practical details” regarding the 18 to 22 September exhibition and air show. Many attachés attached to Embassies and High Commissions in South Africa are regulars at AAD with some expected to be on duty as escorts and – where needed translators – for senior officers from their home countries’ defence forces.
Attachés were told AAD is an exhibition that consolidates a trade exhibition with education, technological innovation and interaction with the added bonus of an air show.
The briefing was part and parcel of Defence Foreign Relations’ commitment to strengthening diplomatic ties in the Southern African region as well as continentally and internationally.
Defence and aerospace companies from Brazil (Embraer), France (Airbus), India (Brahmos Aerospace), Italy (Beretta and Leonardo SPA), Russia (Rosoboronexport), Turkey (Aselsan) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (TAG Dynamics) are some on the confirmed list of foreign exhibitors with just over a month before AAD 2024 opens its doors for business.
