TAIPAI \u2014 China will once again make its presence known at the Dubai Airshow as part of its ongoing effort to find a beachhead in the potentially lucrative, but so far elusive, gulf defense market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corp. (CATIC) will feature both a stand (820) and chalet (A41\/42) at the show. Controlled by the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), CATIC serves as AVIC’s agent for its products, which have been finding some\u00a0acceptance\u00a0gaining ground <\/span>in the Middle East and Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But when it comes to promoting advanced defense products, China\u00a0with the exception of Pakistan, advanced Chinese defense products <\/span>faces challenges an uphill battle<\/span> in trying to sell to the Middle East, said Richard Bitzinger, a military transformation specialist at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I don’t think countries in the region yet trust Chinese weaponry, and price tends not to be a major factor in decision-making,” Bitzinger said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Items like fighter jets and helicopters are just too complicated, he said, and he believes <\/span>few countries will want to “take a chance on Chinese products, when it comes to performance and quality.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Keep in mind, too, that Russia is really coming back as an arms exporter, and it is going to compete head-to-head with China in many of these third-world markets,” Bitzinger said. “In that regard, Russia has a leg up, since it has long-term relationship with many of the countries in places like the Middle East and Central Asia.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Which doesn’t mean China hasn’t tried to change regional minds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the 2009 Dubai Airshow, AVIC debuted its new <\/span>L-15 Falcon advanced jet trainer, marking the first time the aircraft had been shown to the public outside of China. The L-15 is competing in an international market that includes Alenia Aermacchi’s M-346 Master, BAE Systems’ Hawk, Lockheed\/KAI’s T-50 Golden Eagle\u00a0and the Yakovlev Yak-130.<\/p>\n\n\n\n CATIC, meanwhile, participated in the February land warfare show, IDEX Abu Dhabi, and showcased AVIC’s L-15 advanced training aircraft, the Z9WE attack helicopter, UAVs unmanned aerial vehicles\u00a0<\/span>and airborne weapon systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though most of CATIC’s and AVIC’s efforts will be in the commercial sector at Dubai, AVIC Defense will showcase its wares for the regional military market. AVIC has had success in Africa and the markets in other developing nations,\u00a0other third world markets, <\/span>including a 2012 deal for CATIC to deliver\u00a0eight K8P trainers to the Zambian Air Force via a co-production deal with Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bitzinger does believe that China’s UAVs could become a competitor with Western manufacturers for the Middle East market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n China has demonstrated a reliable and cheaper alternative to Western models of unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV). Iraq has just fielded its first Chinese UCAV, the CH-4B Rainbow. Developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the CH-4B is similar to the US-made Predator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “They are already making progress, exporting them to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, but this is just the beginning,” said Vasiliy Kashin, a China specialist at Moscow’s Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n