Why are UAVs attracting customers at defense exhibitions in Hanoi?

"Unique", "strange", "first appearance" or "breath of the future" are what people say about the UAV models on display, making them "magnets" to attract customers.

The booth of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) with the HERON MK II medium-range multi-role unmanned aircraft model serving strategic and tactical missions. This type of UAV is advertised to be able to operate at an altitude of over 10,000m, a maximum speed of about 250km/h, a maximum take-off weight of about 1,400kg, an operating range of 250 - 1,000km depending on the mission... - Photo: HA QUAN

The versatility of unmanned aerial vehicles (UVs) has recently made them one of the "stars" at the Vietnam International Defense Exhibition 2024 in Hanoi.

At nearly 4:30 p.m. on December 20, many people gathered together to take advantage of the opportunity to look at the booths at the defense product display area because there were only 30 minutes left until the end of the second day of the exhibition.

The chatter mixed with questions and answers at the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) booths added to the excitement.

Military UAVs revealed for the first time

Passing through the security check gate and just a few minutes walk, many people immediately witnessed the equipment that had only been seen on television appearing on the runway of Gia Lam airport.

Inside the defense product display area, due to the large size but modest booth area, many companies use miniature models combined with videos to help visitors better understand the product's features.

Viettel's booth made an impression as soon as we entered Hall A with two visual illustrations showing ideas for equipment for future soldiers.

Viettel High-Tech Industry Corporation (Viettel Group), with many models of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) appearing for the first time, has received much attention at home and abroad.

Here, the latest UAV models independently researched and domestically manufactured by Viettel for each mission such as reconnaissance UAVs, suicide UAVs and multi-purpose UAVs impressed the viewers.

For example, the VUA-SC-3G UAV has the mission of reconnaissance and target indication at sea and on land; the VU-R70 medium-range light reconnaissance UAV specializes in searching, detecting, and identifying targets completely automatically, then indicating targets to the fire force...

The VU-C2 suicide UAV is capable of precision attacks on battlefield targets. The VU-C2 UAV is equipped with an optical-electronic warhead and homing head, integrated with AI, allowing for fully automatic search, detection and locking of targets and attacking targets when commanded by the commander. Maximum take-off weight of 8kg, continuous operation time of 40 minutes, reaching a maximum target attack speed of up to more than 130km/h - Photo: NAM TRAN

Representatives from the US, Iran, Russia, Türkiye, and Israel also attracted a lot of attention at the military UAV display area.

At the booth of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), visitors were interested in the HERON MK II medium-altitude multi-role UAV model serving strategic and tactical missions. HERON MK II is aimed at intelligence, maritime patrol, and target surveillance missions.

For Iran, combat and reconnaissance UAVs seem to be part of its marketing strategy as they occupy a large part of its exhibition booth. A representative of the Iranian Ministry of Defense shared that UAVs, along with the aviation and maritime industries, are areas that the country hopes to have potential for cooperation with Vietnam.

Civilian UAVs give a glimpse into future life

With the recent strong development, UVs have been equipped with many modern features, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Their explosion is predicted to have a great impact on many industries such as defense, transportation, agriculture, etc.

In 2024, the UVs market size reached 38.6 billion USD, and by 2027 it will increase to 58 billion USD. The increasing demand leads to a race to master the technology to produce this type of vehicle.

CT Group's electric passenger UAV model CT-2W1 - Photo: DUY LINH

Next to the area of ​​military equipment and UAVs, the area displaying civilian products was bustling with people after 2 days of opening.

CT UAV (a member of CT Group) introduced a 1:6 scale model of the prototype of an electric passenger UAV called CT-2W1. According to the introduction of CT UAV representative, the first prototype will be revealed in mid-2025 and go into mass production in December of the same year. The speed of CT-2W1 can reach a maximum of 200km/h, can carry 5 people and has a continuous flight time of up to 2 hours.

The representative of CT UAV said that during the development process of CT-2W1, there were many challenges because it is a pioneer in this field in Vietnam. This enterprise aims to create a breakthrough in urban transportation and tourism not only in Vietnam but also in Southeast Asia with passenger UAV products.

UAV Hera, a product created from Vietnamese intelligence and highly appreciated internationally, appeared in both defense and civilian product exhibition areas, demonstrating its dual-use.

The Ministry of Public Security's booth has many products appearing for the first time, such as the DJH09 mobile drone/flycam suppression device, or UAVs combined with software to collect and manage security data.

The UVs “family” includes UAVs, unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) and UUVs - unmanned underwater vehicles. It is quite unfortunate that USV and UUV models were absent from this year's exhibition.

The increased presence of these UVs at the third exhibition will be significant for a country with a long coastline like Vietnam.

The Iranian Defense Ministry's booth displayed a series of modern UAV models, capable of integrating cruise missiles and high speed, demonstrating the country's good military technical level - Photo: HA QUAN

In the exhibition area, many delegates were interested in the Turkish Aerospace booth. The booth not only attracted visitors with helicopters but also had a miniature model of a stealth UAV that looked quite similar to the US Air Force's billion-dollar "sky ghost" B-2 Spirit bomber. According to the manufacturer, this UAV has the ability to avoid radar, attack well by air to suppress and destroy the enemy's air defense system... The actual size of this UAV is 7.5m long, 12.5m wingspan, 2.5m high, maximum take-off weight up to 6.5 tons - Photo: HA QUAN

Visitors at the booth displaying products of Vietnam's defense industry - Photo: HA QUAN

The UAV-50 model of Factory Z113 can drop artillery shells at targets, increasing accuracy in combat - Photo: HA QUAN

The Hera drone model is very mobile and can handle dozens of jobs in the fields of geography, national security, agriculture... and especially search and rescue - Photo: HA QUAN

The Ministry of Public Security's booth displays a drone and software for collecting and managing security data - Photo: HA QUAN

Visitors learn about the CT-2W1 passenger UAV model of CT UAV of CT Group - Photo: DUY LINH

The Vietnam International Defense Exhibition 2024 will take place from December 19 to 22. People can visit for free from 9:00 a.m. on December 21 to 3:00 p.m. on December 22 by registering their personal information on the website https://vietnamdefence.vdi.org.vn/ . According to continuously updated information from the exhibition organizers, nearly 100,000 people have registered to visit the Vietnam International Defense Exhibition 2024. Visitors to the exhibition must present their ID card or passport; smoking, pets, food and drinks are absolutely not allowed in the exhibition areas.

Duy Linh - Ha Quan

Tuoitre.vn

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/vi-sao-uav-hut-khach-tai-trien-lam-quoc-phong-o-ha-noi-20241220182806226.htm