British industrial participation in driving progressive modernisation programmes, partnering in enduring long-term industrial developments and assisting in the technical education and training of military personnel in the Asia Pacific region are key factors that have encouraged UK companies to attend the Singapore Airshow, said Alexis Hammer, director, Americas & Asia Pacific with the UK Government’s Defence & Security Organisation (DSO), speaking on the first morning of the event.
“There is a readiness among British companies to enter into regional partnerships,” continued Hammer, adding that regional growth had fuelled a drive for mutual development rather than just offset relationships.
“Systems integration with subsystems is a British specialisation and it particularly relevent in an increasingly networked world,” he added.
Companies such as BAE Systems and Qinetiq have a long history of not only exporting but building deeper relationships not only in Southeast Asia, but also in the wider region notably Australia.
The widening of the Japanese attitude towards international defence exporting gave rise to a secondee being placed in the Defence Solutions Centre which, among other things, is studying the Japanese defence sector.
He stated that the DSC and other government bodies such as the Defence Growth Partnership were keen to support trade missions into the region, highlighted by the upcoming mission to Indonesia from 12-16 March.
