Mubadala Investment Company, the Abu Dhabi-based global investor, will showcase the latest development across its diverse aerospace portfolio at Dubai Airshow 2019, which runs from November 17 to 21.

Mubadala’s aerospace assets, which is comprised of wholly-owned national champions in manufacturing, industrial services and satellite communications, have rapidly scaled over the years to become market leaders in their respective fields.]

These companies include Strata Manufacturing, Sanad Aerotech, Sanad Aero Solutions, and Al Yah Satellite Communications (Yahsat). Also, part of Mubadala Aerospace’s portfolio are Virgin Orbit and Virgin Galactic, which Mubadala has co-invested in with Virgin Group to address the rapidly growing space sector.

At Dubai Airshow, Mubadala will leverage one of the world’s largest and most successful aerospace platforms to showcase its technology road map, and new deals with strategic partners from across the globe.

Badr Al-Olama, Head of Mubadala Aerospace, commented, “Our vision for the future of aerospace has been founded on the UAE Government’s strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and Abu Dhabi’s Economic Vision 2030. Our ambition is for the UAE to play a transformative role in the global aerospace and space industries, spearheaded by our national champions. These companies are leveraging 4IR to position the UAE as a leading global aerospace hub, and thereby increase the contribution of advanced manufacturing industries to the country’s non-oil GDP.

“At Dubai Airshow, we will showcase the various innovations and success stories that span across our businesses, highlighting the UAE’s role in shaping the industry’s future.”

Strata is one such success story. Established in 2010, it has evolved from a home-grown manufacturing company into a global industry leader and firmly placed the UAE’s aerospace manufacturing sector on the international map.

Ismail Ali Abdulla, CEO of Strata, said: “In celebrating our first decade in the aerospace industry, Dubai Airshow serves as a global platform to showcase our achievements, the new partnerships we are establishing, and our adoption of 4IR technologies. Our participation at this year’s event underlines Mubadala’s global aerospace aspirations.

“Moving forward into the next decade, we will begin implementing innovations such as robotics, Artificial Intelligence, automation, 3D printing, big data, digital manufacturing and advanced materials into our manufacturing processes. Our continuing R&D activities also focus on smart and additive technologies in manufacturing, advanced inspection techniques through thermography, and optimised processing and machining of composite parts,” Abdulla explained.

“All these efforts are in line with our goal of enhancing our business to compete in a rapidly evolving, increasingly competitive value chain. They are also aimed at further boosting Strata’s steadily expanding role within the global aerospace manufacturing industry.”

Within its first decade of operations, Strata has become a Tier 1 supplier of advanced composite aero-structures to the world’s leading original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and remains the only company in the Arabian Gulf that manufactures aircraft components for the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers.

Similarly, Sanad Aerotech has been an industry leader for over 30 years, providing Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) services for airlines. Sanad, which refers to support in Arabic, is addressing a main shift in the industry — the growing emphasis of automation and robotics on the MRO sector fuelled by 4IR.

The company ethos is customer first and Sanad Aerotech is revolutionising its support services to address predictability of MRO repairs in an increasingly competitive market. The company achieved a major milestone earlier this year when it announced a $6.5 billion contract with Rolls-Royce at the Paris Airshow, which will triple its Trent 700 engine throughput and increase the size of its workforce by more than 40 per cent — bringing it to almost 500 engineers and technicians.

Mansoor Janahi, CEO of Sanad Aerotech, said: “Dubai Airshow is a strategic event for local, regional and global aviation companies and airlines seeking to grow and expand their businesses. By providing a platform to showcase achievements and upcoming initiatives, the event continues to attract major industry players. For Sanad Aerotech, we aim to continue to strengthen our existing partnerships, foster new relationships and reinforce our commitment to support the UAE’s global aerospace aspirations – by providing seamless, streamlined, and highly efficient services.”

Also showcasing at the Dubai Airshow is Yahsat, a leading global satellite operator. Since inception, Yahsat has played a vital role in providing innovative satellite communication solutions to government and commercial customers.

In addition to connecting communities in underserved and unserved regions across southwest Asia, Middle East, Africa and Brazil, Yahsat has formed strategic joint ventures with industry leaders Hughes and SES, and also acquired Thuraya, the UAE’s first home-grown mobile satellite services operator.

Yahsat has formed a comprehensive fixed and mobile satellite solutions portfolio covering more than 160 countries across the globe. This portfolio is delivered both organically by Yahsat, and through its joint ventures.

Masood M. Sharif Mahmood, CEO of Yahsat, added: “We are pleased to showcase our integrated aero-mobility solutions portfolio following the acquisition of Thuraya. The enhanced portfolio fulfils our government and commercial customer requirements for reliable global aero-mobility, including passenger and cockpit communications.

“We are well positioned to provide aero-mobility solutions, leveraging our satellite and ground network assets, in addition to our global partner footprint encompassing a significant portion of global flight routes through Ka, Ku and L-bands.”

Yahsat is supporting the UAE’s vision to be at the forefront of the space industry by growing Emirati talent, and investing in education to further develop the UAE’s space industry.