By Roberto Caiafa
The official opening ceremony of LAAD 2023, held this Tuesday, 11, marked the return of the most important defense fair of the South American continent after four years of absence caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Among the authorities present at the ceremony were the commanders of the three forces, the Minister of Defense, the governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro, and authorities linked to the Ministry of Defense and the Federal Government.
The speech of Sérguio Jardim, CEO of Creative Events, the company organizing the fair, reflects this moment well.
“We are motivated and optimistic.”
“The return of LAAD after a difficult period of non-face-to-face relations marks the return of handshakes and interaction between people and business discussed face-to-face, which is very important.”
“LAAD 2023 confirms Brazil as one of the countries with truly global events in the Defense area, in addition to the great regional (South America) and national (Defense and Security Industrial Base) attraction that the event already had.”
For the Minister of Defense, José Múcio, “the fair is an opportunity to promote discussion panels on the portfolio’s work with the Defense Industrial Base (BID) and interact and participate in the International Symposium on Military Logistics”.
“The role of the Ministry of Defense is to equip the Armed Forces to guarantee national sovereignty, contribute to the country’s development, and generate jobs and income”.
The event, which takes place between April 11 and 14, encourages defense companies from the Brazilian industrial park.
During the traditional tour of the fair, the minister paid special attention to the stands of major Brazilian companies such as Embraer, Avibras, Imbel, and Iveco Defense Vehicles, which presented a variety of new products in air defense, armored vehicles, communications, command and control, sensors and much more.
The minister also visited some foreign companies, highlighting the visit to the booth of The Edge Group, a large Arab group debuting at LAAD this 2023 with several smart guided weapons, drones for various missions, and high-tech integrated systems, including autonomous tracked vehicles capable of receiving weapons mounted on a remotely controlled station, among other capabilities.
With information from Infodefensa