Dubai Airshow Debutants

The Dubai appearance of the U.S. Air Force’s Bombardier/Northrop E-11 Battlefield Airborne Communications Node may be the public debut of this camera-shy platform. A veteran of the Afghan, Iraqi and Syrian theaters, the E-11 has become a critical component of coalition air campaigns receiving, translating, and transmitting waveforms carrying voice and data communications between incompatible military radios used by different coalition nations and services.

Uganda Airlines A330neo Uganda Airlines expects to increase A330-800 services to Dubai following the re-engined aircraft’s debut on the route in October.

The Kuwait Air Force has brought one of its new H225M Caracal twin-engine medium rotorcraft for static display. The helicopter is one of 24 ordered by the Air Force in 2016, while another six were purchased for the newly formed Kuwait National Guard.

The presence at this year’s Dubai airshow of Boeing’s 737-9 ecoDemonstrator underscores both the technology testbed’s growing influence on the company’s long-term development strategy and the increasing importance of sustainability initiatives to operators in the region.

Debuting at an international event for the first time, Boeing’s 777X is slated for certification around October 2023, after a significantly longer development than expected.

The Tejas light combat aircraft, produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and in service with the Indian Air Force, is making its Dubai Airshow debut this year.

As the entry into service of Irkut’s MC-21 is nearing, the narrowbody aircraft is part of the flying display at the Dubai Airshow. It is powered by United Engine Corporation’s PD-14.