Fighter jets, commercial planes and unmanned drones will jostle for attention at Asia's biggest airshow this week as titans Boeing, Airbus and other manufacturers take their wares to the booming Asian market, organizers said.
Industry issues like airport bottlenecks, security, environmental damage, the growth of low-cost carriers and the race to send tourists into space are also expected to be discussed at the inaugural Singapore Airshow, they said.
Regional transport ministers, airline chiefs, airport operators as well as the heads of the International Air Transport Association and the International Civil Aviation Organization are expected to attend.
"The scale of the exhibition is far larger than anything we have had," managing director Jimmy Lau said, comparing it with the Asian Aerospace fair, which has been moved to Hong Kong after a long presence in the city-state.
"We are on the way to becoming one of the top airshows in the world," he said.
More than 30,000 trade visitors, half of them from overseas, are predicted to throng the show from today through Sunday.
Air force chiefs, including the commander of the Israeli Air Force and the Commander of Pacific Forces of the US Air Force, will discuss the future of global air power at their own summit during the event.
Brigadier General Wong Huat Sern, a Singapore air force commander, said one of the emerging issues is the future of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
"For example, what is the future of unmanned warfare and the future growth of UAVs? Will they be used for air-to-air combat?" he said.
The airshow will also feature a conference on defense procurement and a convention showcasing the latest technology in space engineering and design.
Singapore, Southeast Asia's most advanced economy, decided to host its own airshow after organizers of Asian Aerospace transferred the event, held every two years, to Hong Kong.
A record US$15.2 billion in deals was clinched during the last Singapore Asian Aerospace in 2006, but Lau would not comment on potential contracts this year.
The Singapore Airshow will be held at a 30-hectare site near Changi Airport and boasts 40,000m2 of exhibition space, or 40 percent more area than its predecessor.
Unlike Asian Aerospace, which is now strictly a civil aviation event, the Singapore Airshow will have equal commercial and defense components.
As in the past, US-based Boeing, Europe's Airbus and other industry players will showcase their products, including the world's biggest airliner, the Airbus A380, UAVs, warplanes and other lethal war machines.
"The Asia Pacific will continue to be a key market," said Joe Song, Asia Pacific vice president for international business development at Boeing Integrated Defense Systems.
Defense budgets in the region were growing between five and eight percent annually, he said.
Boeing will bring three F-18 Super Hornets and an F-15 fighter jet to the airshow as part of its defense exhibit that will also feature the Harpoon and JDAM weapons systems.
Air force Top Guns from Singapore and elsewhere will take to the skies during daily aerobatic displays.
Boeing said its commercial exhibit will feature the 787 Dreamliner, its first new model in more than a decade.
The Sydney-based Center for Asia Pacific Aviation consultancy cited reports that Boeing would announce during the airshow orders for about 100 aircraft worth up to US$8 billion from Southeast Asian carriers.
Rival Airbus said it will bring in an A380 aircraft, which will take part in daily flying exhibitions. Last year, Singapore Airlines became the first carrier in the world to commercially fly the double-decker A380, the world's biggest passenger plane.
Sale models of the A350 and the A320, which is popular among Asian budget carriers, will also be displayed.
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