Vietnam seeks to spice up home defence trade because it hosts arms honest

By Francesco Guarascio and Khanh Vu

HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnam will showcase domestically made weapons at a global arms honest in Hanoi on Thursday, because it seeks to spice up its home trade and probably export army gear.

Among the many practically 250 exhibitors might be prime defence corporations, together with from the USA, Europe, Turkey and international locations at struggle with one another, akin to Israel, Iran, Russia and Ukraine.

The Southeast Asian nation is a significant importer of weapons, particularly from Russia, having invested for years in its defence capabilities in an unstable area the place it has clashed with China over boundaries within the South China Sea.

However lately it has additionally bolstered its home defence trade and selling exports of army merchandise is now a precedence, defence ministry officers have repeatedly mentioned.

State-owned defence agency Viettel and different native corporations will showcase missile defence methods, drones, air defence radars, armoured autos and artillery, in response to defence ministry media.

A few of these weapons might be displayed for the primary time, mentioned Nguyen The Phuong, an professional on Vietnam safety at Australia’s College of New South Wales.

He famous a key technique to strengthen the native trade had been the signing of offers with international arms exporters to have a few of their parts produced in Vietnam.

Talks with South Korean corporations have been underway for attainable new offers underneath these situations, particularly for artillery and aviation, he mentioned.

Comparable talks had additionally been held with corporations from different international locations, together with the Czech Republic, officers mentioned.

RIVALS’ GEAR ON DISPLAY

On the expo, Iran’s defence ministry can have a whole pavilion, not removed from the cubicles of Israel’s defence corporations Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael Superior Protection Techniques.

The honest may even host a dozen cubicles of Russian corporations and one for Ukraine’s Motor Sich, an plane engine producer.

A dozen Turkish defence corporations, together with Aselsan (IS:ASELS), Turkish Aerospace Industries and Roketsan, are amongst listed individuals, making Turkey’s one of many largest delegations.

China’s Norinco might be one among two Chinese language exhibitors, in a primary for a Vietnamese defence honest.

U.S. defence giants Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT), Boeing (NYSE:BA) and Textron (NYSE:TXT) Aviation Protection may even have their cubicles on the honest.

They’ve all been concerned in talks with Vietnamese authorities for the sale of helicopters. Lockheed can also be discussing a attainable deal on C-130 Hercules army transport planes, sources had advised Reuters.

Brazil’s Embraer mentioned it is going to exhibit its C-390 Millennium aircraft – a rival to the C-130.

Prime European defence corporations may even attend, together with aerospace large Airbus, Britain’s BAE Techniques (LON:BAES), Germany’s Rheinmetall (ETR:RHMG), Italy’s Leonardo and France’s Thales (EPA:TCFP) Group.