ATMANIRBHAR IN EARNEST

Aero India was a homegrown affair with welcome signs of an indigenous defence manufacturing capability that is coming of age, writes C SANTHOSH

- C SANTHOSH

Aero India-2021 was the first international aerospace and defence exhibition of the new decade and marked a welcome return to large format defence shows despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The 13 th edition of the airshow, held at Air Force Station Yelahanka also marked the 25 th year of the show, since the first formal edition was held in 1996. According to the organisers, more than 16,000 visitors attended Aero India and latest edition had more than 60 aircraft on static display.

While foreign participation was largely muted due to pandemic related restrictions in their home countries, Indian domestic firms were out in force at the airshow. In all 523 registered exhibitors across 449 Indian exhibitors and 74 foreign exhibitors participated in the airshow. “As I said that Aero India – 2021 is expected to boost the growth of Indian Aerospace and Defence sector and promote India as a preferred manufacturing destination globally. It may attract more FDI, increase indigenisation, improve employment opportunities in defence sector and promote exports furthering the cause of “Atmanirbhar Bharat or Self-reliant India” initiative,” Raj Kumar, Secretary, Defence Production said on the inaugural day of the show.

Among the highlights of the show, were the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Dassault Rafale F3-Rs and Boeing AH-64E Apache, CH-47I helicopters making their Aero India debuts as did the combined flight display of the IAF Suryakiran aerobatic team along with the Sarang Helicopter Display Team. There was a flypast on the inaugural day, by a US Air Force B-1B Lancer heavy bomber. The aircraft belonged to the 28 th Bomb Wing based out of Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. A supersonic heavy bomber, the B-1B Lancer carries the largest conventional payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the USAF.