General 
Atomics Aeronautical Systems, or GA-ASI, will display a full-scale mockup of its new Predator XP remotely piloted aircraft at the IDEX defense symposium in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, later this month, announced the company. “With significant interest from the UAE and other countries in Predator XP’s long-endurance and wide-area surveillance capabilities, IDEX presents the ideal venue for the debut of our Predator XP full-scale model,” said Frank Pace, president of the company’s Aircraft Systems Group, in a Feb. 11 release. Predator XP is an export version of the combat-proven RQ-1 Predator, offering improved intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capability and enhancements like an automatic takeoff and landing system and more efficient propulsion, according to the company. GA-ASI has partnered with International Golden Group, a leading defense supplier in the Middle East, to offer Predator XP to the UAE Government. IDEX runs from Feb. 17 to Feb. 21.
The U.S. military is sending more fighter jets to the Middle East to step up its war with Iran, adding to what is already the largest buildup of airpower in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. For now, the operation shows little sign of coming to a quick…