The defence ministers of 32 countries, air chiefs of 29 countries and 73 CEOs of global and Indian OEMs are expected to attend the event where 809 defence companies, including MSMEs and start-ups, will showcase niche technologies and the growth in the aerospace and defence sector.
India will discuss both export opportunities and joint development of defence equipment at the defence ministers’ conclave on February 14 which is scheduled as part of Aero India 2023, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Sunday.
Singh was addressing the media ahead of the 14th edition of Aero India to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. The biennial event will be held from February 13 to 17 and will see participation from 98 countries.
The defence ministers of 32 countries, air chiefs of 29 countries and 73 CEOs of global and Indian OEMs are expected to attend the event where 809 defence companies, including MSMEs and start-ups, will showcase niche technologies and the growth in the aerospace and defence sector.
The biggest-ever Aero India-2023 comes amid the Russia-Ukraine war which completes a year this month. Responding to a question on the event being organised amid the war, Singh said: “We want to make India self-reliant and aim to increase exports”. Towards this, he said, efforts are on to completely indigenise Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas. The LCA Tejas Mk 1 is powered by the GE F404 engine.
According to the government, India will focus on showcasing indigenous equipment and forging partnerships with foreign companies during the five-day event, themed ‘The runway to a billion opportunities’, expected to be attended by about 5 lakh visitors.
Besides self-reliance in defence, India is also seeking to diversify its weapons basket, most of which is Soviet-origin at present. This is evident from the participation of companies from Russia and the west and the bilateral engagements scheduled.
Major exhibitors include Airbus, Boeing, Dassault Aviation, Lockheed Martin, Israel Aerospace Industry, BrahMos Aerospace, Army Aviation, HC Robotics, SAAB, Safran, Rolls Royce, Larsen & Toubro, Bharat Forge Limited, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and BEML Limited.
The event will also showcase design leadership, growth in UAV sector, defence space and futuristic technologies. “The event aims to promote export of indigenous air platforms like Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Tejas, HTT-40, Dornier Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH). It will integrate domestic MSMEs and start-ups in the global supply chain and attract foreign investments including partnerships for co-development and co-production,” the ministry said.
Singh said a strong and self-reliant defence sector will play a pivotal role in helping India emerge as one of the top three world economies in future. “Achievements in the defence sector provide wide spin-off benefits to the Indian economy. The technologies developed in the field are equally useful for civilian purposes. In addition, a temperament towards science & technology and innovation is created in society, which helps in the overall development of the nation,” he said.
A key highlight will be the conclave of defence ministers on the theme ‘Shared Prosperity through Enhanced Engagements in Defence (SPEED)’. The defence ministry said the conclave will deepen cooperation for capacity building (through investments, R&D, joint venture, co-development, co-production and provisioning of defence equipment), training, space, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and maritime security. “The conclave is an opportunity for the defence ministers to engage with each other to carry forward the ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ vision,” the ministry said.
A number of bilateral meetings will be held at the levels of defence minister, chief of defence staff and defence secretary among others. A ‘CEOs Round Table’, chaired by the defence minister will be held on February 13 and is expected to strengthen interaction between the industry and government. Global CEOs from 26 countries, including Boeing, Lockheed, Israel Aerospace Industries, General Atomics, Liebherr Group, Raytheon Technologies, Safran, General Authority of Military Industries (GAMI) etc as well as those from domestic PSUs like HAL, BEL, BDL, BEML Limited and Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited, will participate in the event.
Premier private defence and aerospace manufacturing companies from India such as Larsen & Toubro, Bharat Forge, BrahMos Aerospace are likely to be part of the event.
About 251 MoUs, with an expected investment of Rs 75,000 crore, are likely to be signed for partnerships between various Indian and foreign defence companies and organisations during the Bandhan ceremony on February 15.
Aero India 2023 will have a separate Karnataka pavilion which will showcase the opportunities available in the state. “It is a pleasure to host Aero India again and again. Credit goes to the forefathers who built an aerospace ecosystem… This time the Aero show will be the biggest in terms of exhibits, displays and meets,” said Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/aero-show-starts-today-focus-on-joint-development-and-exports-says-govt-8441065/lite/
