IDEX (International Defence Exhibition & Conference), the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region's largest defence show will be held February 22-26, 2009 under the patronage of HH Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. The show will take place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

"We are pleased to have received confirmation that Portugal and Pakistan will have pavilions at next year's IDEX. This is the very first time Portugal will have a dedicated pavilion at IDEX and we are encouraged to note that the show, now in its ninth edition, continues to draw strong interest from the global defence industry," said Mohamed Al Mashgouni, IDEX 2009 director.

The Pakistan pavilion at IDEX will be organised by Defence Export Promotion Organisation (DEPO) whereas EID (Empresa Investigacao Desenvolvimento Electronica from Portugal will manage Portuguese participation at the show.

Other confirmed country pavilions at IDEX 2009 include the US, the UK, Germany, France, Turkey, Italy, Germany, Russia, Korea, Australia, Austria, China, Belgium, Poland, Singapore, Brazil, Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, The Netherlands, Slovak Republic, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and the Ukraine. Hong Kong has also confirmed a pavilion.

IDEX 2009 is poised to take up all 12 halls at ADNEC's 55,000 square metre venue. Thales, Sagem, Boeing, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Kamas Incorporated and Denel are among the top international defence firms who have confirmed their presence at the show. Several exhibitors from the region including King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) - Jordan and Advanced Electronics Company - Saudi Arabia are also participating. Mubadala, Offset Group, Abu Dhabi Ship Building, International Golden Group (IGG), Al Masaood, Bin Jabr and the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industry rank among the top local exhibitors at next year's event.

The previous edition of IDEX in 2007 featured 862 exhibitors, 143 official delegations from 50 countries, 27 national pavilions, and attracted 29 mobility displays from 10 countries. Contracts worth more than USD 545 million (AED 2 billion) were announced at the show including USD 380 million (AED 1.4 billion) worth of deals signed by the UAE Armed Forces.

IDEX is one of the world's largest exhibitions catering to Land, Sea and Ground-to-Air Defence Systems and Equipment. IDEX 2009 will be held from 22-26 February 2009 in Abu Dhabi, UAE at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. It will incorporate the Gulf Defence Conference, which is regarded in international academic and military circles as a top forum on defence strategies and technologies