The 14th edition of the biennial Aero India 2023 event -- Asia’s largest aero show -- will see the participation of 809 Indian and foreign companies, in which around 251 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), with an expected investment of ₹75,000 crore, are likely to be signed.
In line with the ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ vision, a significant focus this time will be on showcasing indigenous military hardware or technologies, and forging partnerships with foreign companies. The event comprises a Defence Ministers’ Conclave; a CEOs Round Table; Manthan start-up event; Bandhan ceremony; breath-taking air shows; a large exhibition; an India Pavilion and a trade fair of aerospace companies.
Organised at Air Force Station, Yelahanka, in a total area of around 35,000 sqm, the event, the biggest-ever to date, will see the participation of 98 countries. The Defence Ministers of 32 countries, Air Chiefs of 29 countries and 73 CEOs of global and Indian OEMs will attend the five-day event.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the five-day event in Bengaluru today. The aero show, the theme for which is ‘The runway to a billion opportunities’, will display India’s growth in aerospace and defence capabilities. As per defence minister Rajnath Singh, Aero India 2023 will showcase the country’s manufacturing prowess and the progress achieved towards realising the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, which will contribute to the development of the aerospace and aviation sector in the country.
The aero show this time will have many first, including the defence innovation event Manthan. Being organised by Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), the Manthan platform will bring the leading innovators, start-ups, MSMEs, incubators, academia and investors from defence & aerospace ecosystem under one roof.
It will have many firsts, including the launch of challenges on cyber security, the establishment of iDEX Investor Hub, and MoUs with investors.
Major exhibitors & equipment
The 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.
Aero India 2023 will also showcase design leadership, growth in the UAVs sector, defence space and futuristic technologies. The event also aims to promote the 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).
Defence ministers' conclave & bilateral meets
The defence minister will host Defence Ministers’ Conclave on 14th February, in which respective ministers from friendly countries will participate. The conclave will focus on deepening 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 to grow together.
On the sidelines of Aero India 2023, a number of bilateral meetings will be held at the levels of Raksha Mantri, Raksha Rajya Mantri, Chief of Defence Staff and Defence Secretary, which will focus on bolstering the defence and aerospace ties.
Besides, the CEOs Round Table will see participation from officials, delegates and global CEOs from 26 countries, including international investors such as Boeing, Lockheed, Israel Aerospace Industries, General Atomics, Liebherr Group, Raytheon Technologies, Safran, and General Authority of Military Industries (GAMI).
Bandhan ceremony & Manthan
The Bandhan ceremony, which shows the signing of MoUs or the transfer of technologies, and product launches will be held on February 15. The event is expected to forge new partnerships with organisations in the country and abroad. The Manthan platform will bring the leading innovators, start-ups, MSMEs, incubators, academia and Investors from the defence & aerospace ecosystem under one roof.
India & Karnataka Pavilions
The ‘India Pavilion’, based on the ‘Fixed Wing Platform’ theme, will showcase a total of 115 companies, displaying 227 products. It will further showcase the growth of India in developing an ecosystem for the Fixed Wing platform, which includes the showing of various structural modules, simulators, systems (LRUs) etc. of LCA-Tejas aircraft being produced by Private Partners. A full-scale LCA-Tejas aircraft -- single engine, lightweight, highly agile, multi-role supersonic fighter -- in Full Operational Capability (FOC) configuration will be at the centre stage of India Pavilion. The Karnataka Pavilion will show the job and industrial opportunities available in the state.
