Govt plans shift to tri-services expo for indigenous tech

The government is working on institutionalising a new defence industry exposition that will showcase indigenous technologies and will be the annual flagship event to promote exports and encourage business partnerships.

The mega industry event is likely to focus on land, air and naval systems, with the new concept doing away with the earlier practice of conducting a separate aerospace show under the AeroIndia brand. This year’s edition of AeroIndia is likely to have been the last, sources said, adding that a consolidated show will make it easier for all stakeholders to attend and focus on business.

As per the current practice, India has been conducting two defence industry shows in alternate years, under the DefExpo and AeroIndia brands. While DefExpo has been conducted in several venues across the country, including Goa, Lucknow and Gandhinagar, AeroIndia has been held in Bengaluru.

However, given the limited space available at the Yelahanka air base in Bengaluru where the show is hosted, as well as difficulties in managing the traffic flow around the large-scale event, AeroIndia has been facing technical challenges.

This year, for example, some defence companies could not find adequate space to set up stalls to showcase their latest innovations. Despite the show area being expanded, space has been limited as Yelahanka has constraints, given that it is an operational air base.

Also, despite the show being hosted in Bengaluru for years, no permanent structures or facilities have been set up to meet the requirements of conducting a show of international standards. Another big issue has been traffic constraints as Yelahanka is located on the main road between Bengaluru city and the airport.