Royal Brunei Technical Services (RBTS)

THE signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Royal Brunei Technical Services (RBTS) and World Aerospace Sdn Bhd of Malaysia marks the official start and gives a preview of the next Brunei Darussalam International Defence Exhibition (Bridex), which will be held in 2009.

"This is our first exposure (of Bridex 2009)," said Hjh Rosmawati Hj Manaf, deputy chief executive officer of RBTS.

"From now on, we will be on a continuous marketing campaign, by participating in a series of international defence exhibitions February 2008 at the Singapore International Defence Exhibition and in Kuala Lumpur in April but Bridex 2009 is still a work in progress and we have much to prepare and plan for," she explained further.

Bridex 2009 will provide a venue for defence officials, industrialists, researchers and policy makers to interact and witness the latest developments in defence technology.

It will also offer the sultanate with a bigger platform and greater opportunity for all players in the defence industry to establish and enhance business ventures and networks.

This is done by highlighting the crucial importance of technology in strengthening defence and security in today's ever-changing environment and, in particular, showcasing to the public the military hardware, technology and services as a means of attracting genuine interest in this technological field.

Just like the first one, Bridex 2009 will also include seminars and conferences that will revolve around the exhibition's theme of Network Enabled Approach and Improved Access to Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR).

It will focus on four main areas of defence development, namely: integrating ISR operators and disseminating output within a network-enabled environment, homeland security, supporting deployed forces on peacekeeping missions and humanitarian operations as well as border surveillance and protection.

The Bridex 2009 committee has already anticipated a higher participation of leading international and regional defence manufacturers.

The first Bridex saw the participation of 108 exhibitors from 18 countries.

"We are aiming to increase that number to 200 for Bridex 2009," said the deputy CEO of RBTS.

Many benefits and opportunities are expected from Bridex 2009, which was the main reason why the Lima airshow was selected as the venue for the announcement.

Source: The Brunei Times