Focus on F-16 fighters

Major General Pilot Khalid Bin Abdullah Mubarak Al Bouaynein, Commander of the UAE Air Force and Air Defence, said the participation of F-16 fighters would be the main feature of the show. He said that the UAE's participation this year would be special and bigger than in previous years.

Solo displays include aerial demonstrations by the UAE's Apache helicopters and a chainwalk by the Special Operations Unit. In addition, most of the Air Force's aircraft will take part in the show, Al Bouaynein said.

The Technical Institute of the Armed Forces also has a strong participation. The institute has developed a flight simulator and several models of remote-controlled jets.

According to Al Bouaynein, the international participation in the show has exceeded expectations and will help boost the show in the years to come, in line with the directives of General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to make the event one of the world's most successful aerial displays.

— Kelly Crane, Staff reporter