Asia’s premier air show, Aero India , will take off in Bengaluru on Wednesday with over 300 foreign firms vying with each other to align with “Make in India” campaign of the Narendra Modi government as they eye the burgeoning multi-billion dollar Indian defence market.
With metal birds having already landed and prepped up, the Air Force Station at Yelahanka in the IT city is all set to host the 10th edition of the biennial five-day international edition of the aerospace and aviation exhibition to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mr. Modi will be the second Prime Minister to inaugurate the event after H. D. Deve Gowda in 1996.
The Prime Minister, who is expected to spent about three hours at the venue and witness a fly past and aerial aerobatics, will also visit the Institute for Stem Cell Biology besides interacting with scientists at the Indian Institute of Sciences.
He will also deliver the convocation address at National Institute for Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS).
Besides 54 ministerial and other high-level delegations from several countries that are slated to attend the inaugural event, the exhibition will also see participation of over 600 companies, including 295 Indian and 328 foreign companies.
The US with 64 companies will have the biggest presence at the event, said to be the largest ever air show to be hosted so far in India, in which 33 other countries are taking part.
France will be the second biggest participant with 58 companies, followed by the UK with 48, Russia with 41, Israel with 25 and Germany with 17, organisers said.
The number of business visitors is expected to rise by nearly 50 per cent from the last edition to 1, 50,000 this year.
The air show is invariably a huge attraction for aviation aficionados who throng to the event to witness the static and air display by various aircraft including fighter, transport, helicopter and aerobatic display teams.
While the number of aircraft participating in static and air displays is tentatively 72, Indian Air Force Sarang Team and air display teams from Sweden, UK, Czech Republic and open sky jump by USA Special Forces are among the major attractions at Aero India-2015.
Seven of the 11 foreign military aircraft on display will be American - two F-15C Eagles, two F-16C Fighting Falcons, one Boeing KC-135 tanker, one C-17 Globemaster III and a P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft.
Three Rafale fighters of French giant Dassault - shortlisted for acquisition by the IAF - will fly aerobatics displays. Negotiations over the deal for 126 aircraft have hit rough weather.
Italian conglomerate Finmeccanica, which was ousted from the biennial military exhibition DefExpo in the wake of bribery charges in VVIP chopper scam a year ago, will also participate in the event.
Bengaluru has come under thick security blanket ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit as also the hotels where foreign delegations are staying in large numbers.
