Interoperability is the watchword for the next phase of development of the Patriot missile-defense system. And it is Patriot users in the Middle East who are leading the way.

Middle Eastern business aviation activity is pretty resilient, say many in the industry, but while some try to talk the market up, others working at the sharp end cast a relatively gloomy picture and await an upturn in activity.

Two years on and the German-UAE joint venture between DC Aviation and Al-Futtaim is still the only standalone fixed-base and maintenance business aviation company at Dubai World Central with its own purpose-built property.

A customer starting a new competition today is spoilt for choice. At the upper end of the European offerings, the Typhoon and Rafale are superficially similar, but the former excels in acceleration, supersonic maneuverability and altitude while the latter still leads in range and diversity of weapons.

With the biennial Dubai Air Show kicking off on Sunday 8th November, we take a look at some of the aircraft you can expect to see on display, including new additions to the show.

Swarming like bees around an elephant, Yves Rossy, the Swiss inventor of the jet engine-powered wing, and his protégé Vince Reffet, earlier this month conducted an unprecedented formation flight over Dubai with an Emirates Airline A380.

The military building boom may be over—or at least downsized—for regional big spenders whose revenues rely on high oil prices.