One of the big focus areas in the recently concluded Aero India — the biennial airshow held in Bengaluru — was to showcase India as an emerging defence manufacturing hub. The idea was to present India’s changing position and role in the global defence market — from being one of the largest importers, the nation is now manufacturing defence equipment that can be sold to ‘friendly countries’.
‘Friendly countries’ was a buzzword at the Aero India because almost every Indian defence PSU, the DRDO and Indian private firms spoke about India’s export potential. And as part of India’s outreach, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hosted the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) Defence Ministers’ conclave. Twenty six out of the 28 countries from the IOR attended the conclave, either physically or in virtual mode. Read More…
