South African aerospace and defence show organiser AAD Expo has announced that it has organised a new event, Aerospace and Defence Trade Show (ADTS) 2021, which will be held at Lanseria International Airport from March 24 to March 26 next year. AAD Expo is normally responsible for the biennial Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) Exhibition. But AAD 2020, scheduled (as usual) for September was cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the next AAD will only take place in September 2022.

“The hosting of AAD events, for the past 21 years, has made a significant contribution to the growing South African economy and that of its neighbouring countries through leveraging intellectual property into tangible products and export contracts,” highlighted AAD Expo Executive Chairman Sandile Ndlovu. “We will continue to create an enabling environment for dialogue in our sector. As one of our key mandates pronounces, it will remain our goal to bring together subject matter experts in thought leadership dialogues such as ADTS 2021.”

ADTS 2021 will be exclusively a trade show. According to AAD Expo it will have some 150 exhibitors, of which 80% will be local companies and 20% will be international. The sectors covered will include airports, defence, general aviation, logistical and support services, medical supplies, security systems (ranging from cyber security to crowd control) and uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs, popularly called drones). 

The main activities of the show – business meetings, a conference and capability demonstrations for aircraft and UAVs – will take place at Lanseria, which is located north-west of Johannesburg and south-west of Pretoria and is Gauteng province’s second international airport. A private-sector enterprise, Lanseria is the main international airport for executive aviation in South Africa.

In parallel to the activities at Lanseria, there will also be land force equipment and systems displays and demonstrations at the Gerotek test facility. Located at the western edge of Pretoria, Gerotek is a unit of South Africa’s defence acquisition and disposals agency Armscor.

“(ADTS 2021) is about exploring new paths, sharing solutions and showcasing innovation beyond Covid-19,” affirmed AAD Expo in its statement. “Accessible to trade visitors only, the event will be industry focused and aptly emphasise industry capabilities and technologies that emanated from the challenges posed by the Covid pandemic.”