The latest edition of the Bangalore Air Show to be held next week promises to be bigger and better than ever and in it’s seventh avatar will be the biggest show ever hosted by India. So says the Indian government’s Secretary for Defense Production, Pradeep Kumar. The show will have exhibitors from all around the globe under one roof showcasing the finest in aviation, with both flight as well as static displays of a wide range of civil and military aircrafts.
More than half the almost 600 participants at the show are from overseas. The 25 participating countries include UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Italy, Ireland, Israel, Malaysia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands and Ukraine. China will be participating at this year’s Air Show for the first time.
The aircrafts on display include the F-16, F-18, MiG-35D, Eurofighter, IJT, Dhruv, Hawk, C-17, Embraer 135 business jet Legacy 600, C-130J, Citation XLS,G 550, AN-12 Cargo. The show will also see Defense Ministers from as many as eight countries at the show, not to mention defense delegations from 40 countries.
The show is a manifestation of the potential seen by foriegn manufacturers in the opening up of India’s defense sector to foreign direct investment. Indian and foreign companies will get the opportunity to network and share expertise and also conduct B2B meetings to maximize the potential for doing business.
India is in the market for 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) and more than 200 helicopters for varying roles; is already buying eight of Boeing P-8I long range maritime aircraft, Boeing’s Harpoon missiles, six Hercules C-130J aircraft and awaiting the first of the AWACS aircraft from Israel . This list is merely indicative and hardly exhaustive.
Needless to say, if you’re a civil/military aviation manufacturer, the Bangalore Air Show is the place to be next week. StratPost will be there too, with in-depth daily coverage of products, displays, news and analysis.
