An American astronaut who is one of only 24 people to have flown to the Moon will be visiting Bahrain as part of the air show next month.

Alfred Worden, who was the command module pilot for the Apollo 15 moon mission in 1971, will take part in activities marking the Bahrain International Airshow 2018 (BIAS) at Sakhir Air Base from November 14-16.

“As one of just 24 people to have flown to the Moon — only 12 of whom are still with us on Earth — Col. Worden’s first-ever visit to Bahrain creates new opportunities to encourage sustainable science, industry and business partnerships between our countries,” said Tom Kallman president and CEO of Kallman Worldwide - the show’s new US representative.

During his four-day schedule, Worden will address the Second Manama Air Power Symposium, which will be attended by Chiefs of Air Staff from around the world on the eve of the air show, make official appearances in both the trade show and the public area, as well as make presentations to the Royal Bahrain Air Force and a Bahrain University audience.

The show will also see the largest ever US participation, with a total of 35 US companies from across the aerospace and defence sectors joining the inaugural USA Partnership Pavillion, which is being organised by the show’s new US representative, Kallman Worldwide.

Kallman Worldwide has worked closely with a number of US government agencies to select and attract American aerospace and defence companies looking to build on strong economic and security partnerships with Bahrain and the larger regional market.

Pavilion participants include Harris Corp, Northrop Grumman, and Pratt & Whitney to small-and-medium-sized enterprises supporting a broad range of military and commercial equipment, components, technologies and services.

Speaking about the newly introduced USA Partnership Pavillion, Engineer Kamal bin Ahmed Mohamed, minister of transportation and telecommunications, said: “We are extremely pleased to see this large interest from US companies operating in aerospace and defence to attend BIAS 2018. With our longstanding relationship between Bahrain and the US, including a free trade agreement between the two countries, US companies looking to do business in the region with Bahrain as their base have many compelling reasons to do so, and our air show will serve as an ideal platform to engage with potential partners and explore possible opportunities.”

Justin H. Siberell, US Ambassador to Bahrain, said: “Bahrain's aviation sector is growing rapidly, and the Kingdom offers many potential opportunities for US companies in the defence and commercial sectors. The US-Bahrain security partnership is one of the oldest in the region, with the US Naval Forces Central Command and the US Navy Fifth Fleet based in the country."

“Commercial opportunities in Bahrain are also expanding, with a number of major projects taking shape. US-made aircraft, parts and service companies have the expertise to compete in this commercial aviation market. I am confident that BIAS will facilitate opportunities to develop new contacts,  build on existing relationships, and to further our already strong bilateral commercial and security partnerships."

US military aircraft will be another highlight at the show, with expected participation from F-16  (Static and Demo),  MV-22 (Static and Demo), and B-1B, and F-15E, AV-8B, CH-53  and MH-60S in the static display at the show, which is expected to have a total of around 110 civil and military aircraft displayed from different countries. - TradeArabia News Service