Gallery: Show of Force: Images From the Abu Dhabi Arms Fair
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Earlier this year, 50,000 military officers and arms dealers descended on Abu Dhabi for the International Defence Exhibition and Conference. Some are allies, others mortal enemies (India, say hello to Pakistan). But here they meet and mingle, shopping for missile systems, assault rifles, and attack helicopters. __Live Demonstration Area Convention Center Grandstand__ While these attack helicopters fly information overhead, tanks rumble through the streets and commando teams launch assaults on encampments. The display of military might is essentially a sales pitch by the UAE, choreographed to mark the start of the International Defence Exhibition and Conference, or IDEX, the Middle East's largest arms fair. The goal is to impress the 50,000 military officers, arms dealers, and government representatives from more than 100 nations who are gathered here in Abu Dhabi to shop for the latest weapons, tanks, rockets, and other killer gizmos. The display can be witnessed comfortably from the grandstands, which are set up to allow professional media crews to capture all the action. *Photo: Julian Röder*
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__Booth 10-E25 Chinese Pavilion__ IDEX is packed with sensitive military gear, like these glide bombs and air-to-air missiles. But photographers are allowed to shoot just about anything at the show—anything, that is, except members of the UAE royal family. Here, however, crown prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces, is photographed asking a few questions of the drone and missile makers from the China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation. Bodyguards quickly intervene and the crown prince moves on. *Photo: Julian Röder*
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__Booth 09-C13 Russian Pavilion__ Sixty-four years ago, Soviet generals began handing out Mikhail Kalashnikov's new assault rifle to select army units. Easy to assemble and resistant to grime, the AK-47 became the world's most widely distributed weapon. The AK still sees plenty of action, but Russia's arms makers have moved on. This display, from Russia's KBP Instrument Design Bureau, shows off some of the country's latest light weapons, like sniper rifles, assault rifles, and submachine guns. In the center is the GM-94 grenade launcher. It's a particularly nasty device, able to fire thermobaric rounds that ignite the air and then set off mammoth fireballs and pressure waves. According to the manufacturer, the 43-mm weapon is optimized for "destroying personnel in urban conditions." *Photo: Julian Röder*
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__Outside Grounds UAE Pavilion__ For people in the defense industry, IDEX is like any other trade show. Visitors such as these UAE troops receive goodie bags full of glossy sales brochures on the newest technologies and products. And, of course, there are plenty of attention-grabbing, if a little goofy, distractions: The entertainment this year included synchronized motocross teams and the New Zealand Army Band's rendition of "YMCA." *Photo: Julian Röder*
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__Booth 09-A10 German Pavilion__ Some IDEX exhibitors, like Mercedes-Benz, are known more for consumer products than war machines. Others stick to weaponry, like Rheinmetall Defense, which makes the IFV Close Combat Vehicle. Tricked out with a 30-mm cannon, a machine gun, and a thermal imaging system, it was one of the stars of IDEX 2011, helping Rheinmetall capture the show's Best Exhibition Stand award. The UAE is looking to spend billions on improving its military, and this is Germany's bid to get some of that cash. A jackpot sale would help Germany subsidize its own—more advanced—military upgrades. *Photo: Julian Röder*
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__Lobby UAE Pavilion__ IDEX is a little like Black Friday—except that all the Christmas presents explode. With the show under way, soldiers from around the world cram into the entrance hall, hoping to be among the first to spot the hottest deals. This can create a remarkable mix of characters: This photo shows state security from the UAE royal family, a delegation of Chinese army officers, and soldiers from Tanzania, all making their way into the main exhibit area. Despite the mingling of mortal foes (India and Pakistan, China and Taiwan), tensions are kept beneath the surface at the expo—everyone knows the show is for making deals, not war. The big day when the presents get unwrapped comes later. *Photo: Julian Röder* *Contributing editor Noah Shachtman* ([[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])) *has covered the military for a decade and is the editor of* Wired.com's Danger Room *blog*. *Berlin-based photographer Julian Röder is working on a project called* "The Summits," *a series of images depicting protesters at summit meetings around the world*.
