S. Korea to hold large-scale weapons exhibition next month: Air Force

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will host one of Asia's largest arms
exhibitions next month, drawing officials from 26 nations and an audience of
300,000, the Air Force said Wednesday.
The Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition 2009, featuring a joint
air show by South Korean and U.S. demonstration squads, will take place from Oct.
20-25 at an airfield south of Seoul, the Air Force said in a release.
The exhibition will display dozens of high-tech military weapons, including
F-15s, F-18s, K-2 tanks, K-9 self-propelled guns, KF-16s, KUH helicopters, Global
Hawks, C-17 transports, naval training simulators, and P-3C naval reconnaissance
aircraft.
Twenty-six nations will participate in the six-day exhibition, with 271 companies
marketing their products to weapons procurement officials and top military
commanders, the Air Force said.
Defense ministers, army and air force chiefs of staff and defense procurement
heads will take part, it said.
"It is likely to be Asia's largest defense exhibition ever, also drawing a
general audience of 300,000 civilians," the Air Force said.
The air show will be performed jointly by the U.S. Air Force Demonstration
Squadron, the Thunderbirds, and their South Korean counterparts, the Black
Eagles, at Seongnam Airfield.
Among the participating defense officials will be Polish Defense Minister Bogdan
Klich, German Air Force Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Klaus Peter Stieglitz and
Malaysian Army Chief of Staff Gen. Tan Sri Muhammad Ismail Bin HJ Jamaluddin.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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