India will showcase its prowess in defence manufacturing at the upcoming DefExpo-2018 in Chennai from April 11 to 14.
While the number of participating Indian firms, especially defence PSUs, has gone up compared to the previous event, participation by foreign firms has plummeted by almost 10 per cent in the biennial event, according to Ajay Kumar, Secretary (Defence Production), Ministry of Defence.
Kumar also said while ministerial level delegations from countries such as the US, the UK, Italy, Afghanistan, Nepal, Myanmar and Vietnam have confirmed their participation, China is yet to respond to the Defence Ministry’s invitation.
Home ground
DefExpo, which usually takes place in February-March, got delayed by a month this time as Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was keen to hold the show at her home State Tamil Nadu. Manohar Parrikar had similarly changed the venue from New Delhi to Goa in 2016, during his stint as Defence Minister.
Sitharaman will officially inaugurate the show on the first day, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil the ‘Make in India’ pavilion.
A total of 671 exhibitors are participating this year, which includes 517 Indian and 154 international exhibitors. Almost 15 per cent of the total exhibition space has been booked by defence SMEs, said Kumar.
For the first time, Indian Navy warships will be exhibited at the show. They will be docked at Chennai port on April 13-14, where the public can view them free of cost, Kumar told reporters here on Wednesday.
Show of strength
“DefExpo 2018 will brand India as an exporter of several defence systems and components for all three services — Army, Navy and Air Force. While showcasing the strengths of India’s substantial public sector, it will also uncover India’s growing private industry and spreading MSME base for components and sub-systems,” he said.
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) will showcase various flying platforms including domestically designed and manufactured fourth-generation light combat aircraft Tejas, advanced light helicopter Dhruv (which has both civil and combat variants) and light combat helicopters.
Some of Indian companies that are participating are the Tatas, L&T, Kalyani Group, Mahindras, BEL and HAL.
Global defence giants such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, SAAB, Rafale, Rosoboronexport and Airbus will be showcasing their products as well.