Misawa demonstrates air power for the first time in Brunei

Sultan of Brunei visits BRIDEX 2013 Static Display

The Brunei Darussalam International Defence Exhibition and Conference (BRIDEX), originally Brunei Darussalam International Defence Exhibition, was a

biennial Biennial means (an event) lasting for two years or occurring every two years. The related term biennium is used in reference to a period of two years. In particular, it can refer to: * Biennial plant, a plant which blooms in its second year and t ...

defence Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...

and security

exhibition An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibiti ...

and

conference A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...

held in Negara Brunei Darussalam. Involving all three

service branch Military branch (also service branch or armed service) is according to common standard a subdivision of the national armed forces of a sovereign nation or state. Types of branches Unified armed forces The Canadian Armed Forces is the unifie ...

es of the

Royal Brunei Armed Forces The Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF); (ABDB), Jawi script, Jawi: , is the official organisation and collective term for all of the military forces or service branches of the sultanate of Brunei, Brunei Darussalam. The RBAF consists of three pr ...

(RBAF), it started in 2007, and was launched by the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

(MinDef). The final BRIDEX event to take place was from 3 to 7 December 2013. The Ministry of Defence appointed Royal Brunei Technical Services (RBTS) as organisers of the event.

Venue

In 2009, the BRIDEX International Conference Centre,

Jerudong Kampong Jerudong is a village in Mukim Sengkurong, Brunei–Muara District, Brunei, about from the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The population was 3,856 in 2016. It is one of the settlements within Mukim Sengkurong. It is of historical interest ...

was purpose-built for BRIDEX events on a site near the Royal Brunei Polo and Riding Club, five minutes from the Empire Hotel and Country Club. Exhibitors and visitors benefit from of modern

air-conditioned Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C (US) or air con (UK), is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior temperature, and in some cases, also controlling the humidity of internal air. Air c ...

exhibition halls; adjoining apron space for static displays; a mobility park and

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...

for live demonstrations of equipment and systems;

chalet A chalet (pronounced in British English; in American English usually ), also called Swiss chalet, is a type of building or house, typical of the Alpine region in Europe. It is made of wood, with a heavy, gently sloping roof and wide, well-su ...

s, restaurants and hospitality facilities. The conceptual design was conceived within three hours, and the construction was completed within nine months. The building complex was design by its principal

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

, Ar. Masri Haji Mohd Taha, a British-trained Bruneian Chartered Architect.

History

BRIDEX 2007

The first BRIDEX took place from 31 May to 2 June 2007 at the International Convention Centre, established and organised by the Ministry of Defence, Brunei Darussalam. The event received the participation of 108

companies A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether natural, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specifi ...

from sixteen countries, and 11,000 members of the public visited the event during the three-day period.

BRIDEX 2009

The second BRIDEX took place from 12 to 15 August 2009. The Ministry of Defence had appointed Royal Brunei Technical Services (RBTS), the solely authorised

procurement Procurement is the process of locating and agreeing to terms and purchasing goods, services, or other works from an external source, often with the use of a tendering or competitive bidding process. The term may also refer to a contractual ...

agency of sensitive and strategic goods for the country, as the organisers of the event, with an increase in exhibitors (approximately 250 companies from twenty-five countries) showcasing their products. There were also rises in the number of visitors from previous event (14,000). On the opening day, Wednesday 12, personnel from the Special Task Force of the

(RBAF) carried out a demonstration of their military skills to commemorate the opening of the then new BRIDEX International Conference Centre.

BRIDEX 2011

Its third occurrence, BRIDEX 2011 took place from 6 to 9 July 2011. Following the previous event, exhibitors were again limited to approximately 250 companies, however, the 2011 event held special significance as it coincided with the

golden anniversary A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations. Bangladesh In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali ''"স� ...

of RBAF. During BRIDEX 2011, the

Royal Brunei Navy The Royal Brunei Navy (RBN), natively known as (TLDB) is the naval force of Brunei. It is a small but relatively well-equipped military force whose main responsibility is to conduct search and rescue missions, and to deter and defend the Bru ...

(RBN) celebrated its 46th anniversary at the Muara Naval Base, in which twenty-four

warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is used for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the navy branch of the armed forces of a nation, though they have also been operated by individuals, cooperatives and corporations. As well as b ...

s from ten countries were invited. Notably, this was the first time the USA attended BRIDEX, which was co-located at

Royal Brunei Air Force Base, Rimba Officially known as Royal Brunei Air Force Base, Rimba (), commonly known as Rimba Air Force Base (), occasionally known as Rimba Airbase, and informally abbreviated Rimba AFB; it is the military headquarters and main operating airbase of the Ro ...

; the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

(USAF) sent General Dynamics F-16s from

Misawa Air Base is an air base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), List of United States Air Force installations, the United States Air Force, and the United States Navy located in Misawa, Aomori, Misawa, Aomori Prefecture, Aomori, in the northern p ...

, Japan to conduct aerial demonstrations. Furthermore, a Boeing CH-47SD/F Chinook from the

Republic of Singapore Air Force The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is the aerial service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for controlling and defending the airspace of the country, and providing air support to the Army and Navy. It was establis ...

(RSAF) was sent for static display within Hangar B of the

airbase An airbase (stylised air base in American English), sometimes referred to as a military airbase, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base, is an aerodrome or airport used as a mi ...

, and the

Royal Malaysian Air Force The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF, ; Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ) was formed on 2 June 1958 as the Royal Federation of Malaya Air Force (; ). However, its roots can be traced back to the Malayan Auxiliary Air Force formations of the British Royal A ...

(RMAF) sent a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29N from 19 Squadron.

BRIDEX 2013

BRIDEX 2013 was the fourth and final iteration of this event. Originally scheduled to take place from 8 to 12 October 2013, it was deferred and took place from 3 to 7 December 2013. It was again held at the BRIDEX International Conference Centre, and co-located at

. Notably, BRIDEX 2013 seen the introduction of a newer Blackhawk helicopter variant into the

Royal Brunei Air Force The Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF), natively known as the (TUDB), is the air force of the sultanate of Brunei. It is headquartered and mainly based at the Royal Brunei Air Force Base, Rimba, opposite the Brunei International Airport (BIA).

(RBAirF), the

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

-manufactured Sikorsky S70i Blackhawk, unveiled by His Majesty the

Sultan of Brunei The Sultan of Brunei is the monarchical head of state of Brunei and head of government in his capacity as prime minister of Brunei. Since independence from the British in 1984, only one sultan has reigned, though the royal institution dates bac ...

. The USA again had participation, sending a single USAF

Boeing C-17 Globemaster III The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) between the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two previ ...

of the 545th Airlift Squadron from

Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (JBPHH) is a United States military base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. It is Joint Base, an amalgamation of the United States Air Force's Hickam Air Force Base and the United States Navy's Naval Station Pearl ...

, Hawaii, a

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

(USMC) Bell Boeing MV-22B Osprey, and a Lockheed Martin KC-130J Super Hercules.

References

External links

{{Authority control Military of Brunei 2007 establishments in Brunei Arms fairs Recurring events established in 2007