The Dubai Air Show is a biennial show held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is organized by "F&E Aerospace" since the year 1989; in cooperation with the Government of Dubai, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Dubai Airports and in collaboration with the UAE Armed Forces. The Dubai Airshow organisers F&E Aerospace are forecasting this November’s event to be the largest event in their 26 years. The Dubai Airshow takes place 17 to 21 November 2013 and is moving to a new purpose built home at Dubai World Central (DWC), located in Jebel Ali, Dubai.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of production of the Mi-24, the first purpose-built Russian combat helicopter, at Rostov Helicopter Plant, today called Rosvertol, a Russian Helicopters company. The design of the Mi-24, a strike and transport helicopter was, was so successful that versions are still in use today: some 1,500 Mi-24s serve with the armed forces of 60 countries worldwide. In 1978, helicopter test pilot and Hero of the Soviet Union Gurgen Karapetyan set a world helicopter flight speed record of 368.4kmh in an Mi-24. For Russian-made helicopters this record stands to this day.