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OPINION FEBRUARY 14, 2025 | The Indian Eye 9

The Aero India Programme:

Catalyzing Aerospace to Boost India’s

Defense Export Ambitions

Government policies, such as the “Make in India” and the “Atmanirbhar Bharat”, have greatly enhanced

India’s capability to be self-reliant in defense, especially in the air defense market

LIPUN KUMAR SANBAD

he Aero India 2025 will take
place at Yelahanka Air Force
TStation in Bangalore from 10
to 14 February, a hallmark event in
India’s aerospace domain. This 15th
edition of “The Runway to a Billion
Opportunities” strives to do better
by marketing new partnerships and
increasing the pace of indigenization.
The event includes the Defense Min-
isters’ Conclave that will be themed
“BRIDGE — Building Resilience
through International Defense and
Global Engagement,” the CEOs
“Round Table,” iDEX start-up event,
live and dynamic aerobatics and air
show and a massive exhibition area
with over 200 exhibit providers aimed
towards displaying Indian indigenous
defense manufacturing. The exhi-
bition could help create technology
transfer agreements of over `75,000 IAF’s Sukhoi SU-30 performs ahead of ‘Aero India 2025’, at Air Force station in Bengaluru on Thursday (ANI)
crores to propel India’s aerospace
technology and exports. Acting as a dodara, Gujarat, by Tata Advanced a result of India’s ambitious “Make in ing defense requirements in India.”
bridge between India and other inter- System Ltd.’s joint venture with Air- India” campaign and a cornerstone Moreover, India’s reliance on im-
national defense organizations, Aero bus Spain takes on a new dimension towards achieving defense autonomy. ports for most of its defense equipment
India 2025 will strive to improve the in the country’s aircraft production. This partnership has enabled setting has been exposed to certain issues, and
local avionics industrial development, In addition, the involvement of sev- up of the first private military aircraft this situation brings out the need for In-
as well as innovation, and thereby as- en Indian start-ups in the space and manufacturing plant in India, an as- dia to indigenously design and produce
similate Indian organizations into the defense collaborative Indo-US pro- pect deemed to have brought a new air defense systems for its strategic se-
global production channel. gramme shows the increasing impor- paradigm shift within the indigenous curity. As a solution there is a need
The innovations, such as the tance of private players in developing aerospace production industry. for a comprehensive policy frame-
iDEX pavilion for start-ups and MS- defense innovations. However, obstacles continue to work with policy reforms of defense
MEs, demonstrate the intention of Towards Defense Autonomy exist even when such development has manufacturing policies, private sector
supporting indigenous innovation to been achieved. Per the news platform participation and technology strate-
encourage investment in local man- overnment policies, such as National Herald, the Indian defense gy to create a defense-autonomous
ufacturing. Possible signs of India’s the “Make in India” and the sector has primarily depended upon nation, with programmes like “Make
defense autonomy in the air defense G“Atmanirbhar Bharat”, have state-owned companies like Hindu- in India” and “Atmanirbhar Bharat”
sector can be highlighted through the greatly enhanced India’s capability to stan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), having started the path of setting up a
integration of the Akashteer system, be self-reliant in defense, especially in Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and defense-autonomous nation, especial-
an automatic air defense control and the air defense market. The intended Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, but these ly in the aerospace and defense sector.
reporting system developed by Bharat goals and objectives of these policies companies have to work seamlessly to India as a Major Defense
Electronics Limited, which provides are to cut down the reliance on for- attain its goal timely. While the public Exporter
improved support to the Indian Army eign imports and to encourage do- sectors continue to dominate, there is
through the networking of surveil- mestic production by making relations a need to fill the gap by private firms. ndia’s rise as a key defense ex-
lance systems, radars and communica- between Indian firms and internation- Larsen & Toubro’s chief financial porter to countries like Arme-
tion equipment. The commencement al entities easier. The production of officer, R. Shankar Raman, stated, Inia and the Philippines has been
of the manufacturing of the country’s the C-295 military transport planes “There was a need to move towards possible because of policy measures
first private military aircraft in Va- in Vadodara, Gujarat for example, is domestic private players for sourc- Continued on next page... >>

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