It's billed as 'Asia's Premier Airshow'. But the 10th International Air Show at Bengaluru's Yelahanka Air Force Station 18-22 February is not just about aerial displays.
Inaugurating the air show early Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, nattily attired in a white kurta pajama and a blue waistcoat, declared that the "Government's focus is to reduce imports and develop domestic defense industry with a sense of mission which is at the heart of our Make in India programme.We will build an industry that will have room for everyone – public sector, private sector and foreign firms."
Never mind that the bags issued by the Ministry of Defense to journalists along with their passes (which have two lions apparently representing 'Make in India' and 'Defense Manufacturing' embossed on them)...were Made in China.
In the air, India's indigenous built (never mind that a US General Electric-F404-GE-IN20- engine powers it) Light Combat Aircraft performed some breath-taking stunts for the benefit of the crowd, hunting for shade while being pushed around by the PM's zealous minders across the viewing area.
Other flypasts included some six aerobatics teams, including the IAF's Sarang, using four modified Dhruvs, the Advanced Light Helicopter, and stunning 'wing-walkers' from the UK and Scandinavia. Then there was the iconic US Lockheed Martin F-16, and the Russian Sukhois, now being made in India for IAF.
But the more significant show is on the ground, where some 700 companies from across the world are vying for a slice of the Indian Defense Budget, estimated 2.29 trillion Indian rupees ($38.35 billion) for 2014-15, and several trillion USD over the next decade.