The defence ministry has taken an in-principle decision to host the next edition of Aero India — considered Asia’s largest aerospace exhibition — in its traditional venue of Bengaluru from February 3-5 next year notwithstanding the coronavirus pandemic, official sources said on Friday.
The ministry took the decision to hold the biennial event as scheduled following inputs from the domestic defence industry and global aerospace majors, they said.
The sources said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has already held a number of internal meetings on hosting the mega event.
“It was decided that the event will be hosted while taking maximum precaution against the coronavirus pandemic,” said a source.
Since its inception in 1996, Bengaluru has been hosting the event.
The sources said a significant number of global defence majors and big investors are expected to participate in the event besides official delegations from several countries.
The defence ministry plans to showcase its initiatives in promoting India’s defence manufacturing at the event.
The government has unveiled a number of policy initiatives in the last few months with an aim to boost domestic defence production.
India is one the largest importers of arms globally. According to estimates, the Indian armed forces are projected to spend around $130 billion in capital procurement in the next five years. The government now wants to reduce dependence on imported military platforms and decided to support domestic defence manufacturing.
The defence ministry has set a goal of a turnover of $25 billion (₹1.75 lakh crore) in defence manufacturing in the next five years that included an export target of $5 billion (₹35,000 crore) worth of military hardware.