The Shephard Group has been chosen to organise the official Air Power conference of the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition.

General Tan Sri Dato'Sri Azizan Bin Ariffin, Chief of Air Force, Royal Malaysian Air Force, Malaysia said; "Maritime issues were traditionally focused on border patrol to ensure the integrity of sovereign waters. However, in recent years there has been an increase in serious crimes in strategic Sea Line of Communications (SLOC) which have been committed by what seems to be organised piracy whom are well equipped to strike fear amongst civilian vessels.

With that in mind, this years' conference, entitled Air Power in Maritime Security was chosen with great care and determination as a means to identify, address and hopefully outline a conglomerate framework as a solution to suggestions from our learned speakers and participants.

It is my personal hope that through this conference, we can share our experiences and expertise to address these challenges. This would be achieved through careful consideration and increasing our knowledge in emerging trends and future technologies of aerial defence.

I strongly believe that all the speakers and participants will treat this opportunity as THE MOST IMPORTANT PLATFORM to educate, identify trends and make a positive contribution to increasing the awareness of Air Power in Maritime Security."

Alexander Giles, CEO of the Shephard Group said "The Shephard Group is honoured to have been selected to be the organiser of the Royal Malaysian Air Force's official Air Power conference. LIMA is an important date on the international defence exhibition calendar, and we are looking forward to be a part of the most successful LIMA yet."

Held the day before the official start of the exhibition this event will feature presentations from senior Royal Malaysian Air Force figures outlining future requirements across all aspects of air power.

Rolls-Royce are proud to be one of the key partners of the conference.

Special invitations will be extended from the Chief of Air Force to his peers around the world to give an international perspective to the conference.