EIAS 2024 – a new player in the aviation expo arena
Report and photos by Gabriele Rivera
December 2, 2024
From this September onwards Egypt must be included in the group of those countries that host on a regular basis an aviation industry exhibition, where aircraft and various equipment manufacturers show their best products, in their stands, on the tarmac and in the air.
This new venue fits perfectly in the dynamic Middle Eastern military and commercial aviation market; two MiG-29M/M2, a Rafale EM, a F-16C and a Mirage 2000EM have displayed, with their attendance, the well assorted combat edge of the Egyptian Air Force, while Egyptair and Air Cairo, bringing a Boeing 787 Dreamliner and an Airbus A320 NEO, have underlined the government plans to invest hugely in the development of the existing airports in the country in order to boost an already flourishing tourism industry. In this regard the choice to set this new exhibition at El Alamein airport, which serves the Northern coastal area of the country, has offered to anyone attending EIAS the opportunity to witness the impressive transformation undergoing in the region.
The numbers speak promisingly, 180 official delegations visiting, 300 exhibitors from 100 countries and over 15,000 visitors are the confirmation that the regional market is an interesting one: Egypt is looking for new procurements in several sectors of its air force, and moreover is nurturing an ambition to establish itself as a key player in the global aerospace industry, fostering international cooperation and investments in its local enterprises.
Perhaps the most contended procurement program is the one regarding a light attack fighter/lead-in fighter trainer (LAH/LIFT); in January Egypt’s MoD has issued an RfP (Request for Proposal) for 36 such aircraft, and at least four companies have responded. Two have brought their offer at the show, displaying their aircraft on a daily basis; Leonardo, which offers a mixed solution, the M-346FA for the attack role and the M-345 for training, and Aero Vodochody, showcasing their L-39NG for both missions. The other two players are the CATIC L-15 and the KAI FA-50/T-50; the Chinese and the Korean companies brought only scaled mock-ups, exhibited in their stands. There is also an outsider: Turkish Aerospace Industries has shown its supersonic trainer, the Hürjet. Developing her as a LAH is a decision yet to be made, and the talks between TAI and Egyptian authorities could accelerate this opportunity.
Another requirement of the Egyptian Air Force concerns the transport fleet, in particular the ageing C-130H Hercules. Several airframes of the 24 owned by the air force, in their desert camo or an elegant white one, have provided daily shuttle services for the Egyptian armed forces; while it was a pleasure to take pictures of them during their operations, it was also evident that the older among them, rolled out in 1976, need to be replaced. And on the EIAS’ closing day, as often happens, has been announced the purchase of two new C-130J-30 Super Hercules, set to be delivered in 2026. They are expected to be part of a total of 12 airplanes, staggered over the next years; the flying display of the Chinese Xian Y-20, performed only the opening day, during the visit of the Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, suggests that CATIC, the airlifter manufacturer, still looking for a first export customer, will try to offer her in place of the American workhorse.
France brought its Rafale Demo Team to pay homage to the contracts that will bring, starting since 2026, 31 additional Rafales to the already fully operational Egyptian fleet. The French Rafale has delighted the public with daily performances, and obviously has not been the only fighter to display its maneuverability and engine’s thrust; the United Arab Emirates air force has contributed with two airplanes, a Mirage 2000-9 EAD and an F-16E Block 60, while the Royal Saudi Air Force has brought an Eurofighter Typhoon F.2. Another couple of F-16 have joined the dynamic display schedule: the Greek Zeus Demo Team, this time flying a Viper older than the usual ones flown in several airshows, and an USAFE one, precisely an F-16C Block 40, in service with the “Buzzards”, 510th Fighter Squadron, based in Aviano, Italy.
The “Buzzard” has flown only the first day, then she has been moved to the static display area, together with another aircraft of the same squadron, which has captured the eye of many ones due to the markings stating the delivery of several bombs, which probably should have been GBU-39 SDB.
The USAF participation has included the presence of a “Red Devils” A-10, 107th Fighter Squadron, Michigan ANG 127th Wing, and a “Chiefs” F-15E Strike Eagle, 335th Fighter Squadron, 4th Wing, Seymour Johnson, North Carolina. Truth to be told, when asked if they were homebound, the Warthog’s crew chief has replied that the destination was undisclosed. Their pre-flight checks have been followed closely by almost all the photographers.
The demo teams have entertained daily the public; while the Saudi Hawks have performed daily, the Chinese August 1st Aerobatics Team (Ba Yi in mandarin), composed of six Chengdu J-10, has flown only once, a bit after noon, when the light is at its worst. After the exhibition the six airplanes have been parked in the military area, far from the static area, like their pilots and technicians.
The Egyptian Air Force has instead offered daily performances of their Silver Star team; equipped with nine Hongdu K-8E Karakoram. Formed in 1974, this team, which has adopted the K-8E twenty years ago, is rarely seen outside Egypt, so this has represented a nice opportunity to catch images of them on our SD cards. The Karakorams, used for training at the EAF Air Force Academy at Bilbeis, have been license built by the Egypt’s State-owned AOI (Arab Organisation for Industrialisation); their turbofan engine, a Motor Sich AI-25TL, is starting to have maintenance problems, due to the lack of spare parts, being them produced in Ukraine. For this reason talks between AOI and Korean firm KAI about the T-50 are thought to be quite advanced; should a license production deal be closed, AOI could boost its know-how, aspiring to offer in the near future overhauls for the most advanced models in service with EAF.
Another interesting formation has been brought by the Indian Air Force: the Sarang, composed by four HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) ALH (Advanced Light Helicopter) Dhruv Mk-III helicopters, adorned in a scheme inspired to the peacocks (the Indian national bird, as well as the meaning of Sarang in Sanskrit). Established in 2004, this team rarely displays outside India, so having the chance to obverse their performance has been another point for the Egyptian expo. Another Dhruv has also performed alone, painted in a more operational fashion, while an ambulance version, in service with the Indian Coast Guard, has been displayed in the static area. Unfortunately for us, the IAF C-17s tasked to bring the helicopters back home were scheduled to land at El Alamein a few days after our return date.
The static area offered also other fascinating machines; EAF exhibited three Leonardo helicopters, an air ambulance AW-109, an AW-139 used for SAR missions and a new AW-149, sporting a nice desertic camo, and assigned primarily to naval support tasks. A classic Mil Mi-17 has been quite subjects to dozens of photoshoots, like the beatiful camouflaged AH-64 Apache in service with the Qatar Emiri Air Force, which has brought also an NH-90 NFH. Another intriguing helicopter shown on the tarmac was the Kamov Ka-52 Alligator, apparently exhibited by the Russian firm Rosoboronexport, but after a second look you could easily discern the coloured adhesive patches that covered the Egyptian Air Force numbers and insignia.
A quite peculiar airframe is a civilian one, a Boeing 757-200 testbed owned by Honeywell; a distinctive feature of this aircraft is an horizontal pylon on the right side, similar to a very small wing, which can be fitted with a test engine subject to test. Actually there was no engine, while the flight test aircraft has been on tour in the Middle Eastern area to showcase the firm’s full range of connectivity solutions.
In the static area was displayed also an IOMAX AT-802I BPA (Border Patrol Aircraft). Converted from the well known Air Tractor, 12 AT 802 are in service with the Egyptian Air Force; these machines were previously part of the United Arab Emirates Air Force and Air Defence (like the one present in El Alamein), and IOMAX is hoping to obtain an update contract for those airplanes.
Other two categories well represented on the tarmac and inside the pavillions were UAVs and gliding bombs. Both of them are often the entry level for newborn defence industries, but obviously there were also some leaders in this sector, like the Chinese CATIC and the Turkish Baykar.
Summing up: this first edition of the Egyptian expo has been a successful one, and the Egyptian military and civilian market dynamics lead us to believe that the next edition will be more and more interesting.
His interest in photography arose a few years later, when he bought from a colleague his first single-lens reflex camera, a Pentax ME Super. Then everyday life took its toll; working as an IT analyst, studying for an MD in political science and starting a family left no time for enjoying his old interest for aviation. One day in 2008, he decided to revive the passion, starting again to take pictures of aircraft each time he has a chance. Now, using Canon gear, he is striving to become a photojournalist.
Gabriele can be reached at: [email protected]