Bengaluru: Sixty one aircraft, more than 400 exhibitors and counting!
Do these numbers matter? Perhaps not, for the 12th edition of Aero India commencing at Air Force Station, Yelahanka, on February 20, could well turn into a venue where mega buck contracts will be announced between global majors in aerospace and defence and the Indian industry, with the ‘Make in India,’ initiative drawing more foreign companies to strike partnerships with local firms to roll out weapons and weapon-related systems for the domestic and global markets. The size of these contracts, therefore, could overshadow the number of aircraft on display or the number of exhibitors at the five-day event. The importance of Aero India 2019 was best summed up by former IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha (Retd): “India is a huge market for weapon systems. We are importing a lot, but we need to go headlong with ‘Make in India’ initiative and forge partnerships with foreign companies which are ready to partner our MSMEs,” he told Deccan Chronicle on the eve of the air show.
