The sudden postponement of DefExpo 2022 is a blow to Indian industry, for whom the biennial land and naval systems exhibition is the ideal venue to showcase growing indigenous capability in the defence sector. The 12th edition of the ‘Land, Naval & Homeland Security Systems Exhibition’ was scheduled to be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, from March 10-14, which is projected as the largest ever since its inception in 1999.
According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesperson, the decision to postpone the show was taken ‘due to logistics problems being experienced by participants,’ without further specifics being provided. The ‘logistics problems’ referred to the challenges that international firms would face due to travel restrictions that have emerged from the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. New dates for the show will be announced at a later date.
According to MoD, before this announcement, DefExpo-2022 had 1000+ registered exhibitors with participation from 78 nations and 39 minister-level delegations. The event was planned to be held over one lakh sqm at three venues: Exhibition at the Helipad Exhibition Center (HEC), Events and Seminars at the Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Center (MMCEC) and Live demonstration for the public at Sabarmati Riverfront.
Show Stopper
The sudden postponement is even more surprising as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had reviewed preparation on February 28, when it was announced the show would be extended for an additional day till March 14. According to the representative of a foreign defence firm doing business in India, companies will have to absorb losses in ticket booking for travel and accommodation in addition to payments made to vendors for stall related activities. If DefExpo ends up being cancelled altogether for any reason, then the losses to participating firms will be even larger.
For firms taking part, the scheduling, logistics, staff availability, display items, full-size mockups etc., are all a massive effort, and postponing the show at such short notice will cause heartburn amongst many exhibitors. While the expenses already incurred will be sizeable for international exhibitors, the costs of postponement of the event will be as onerous for Indian firms, many of whom are far smaller in scale and revenue.
The MoD had decided to proceed with DefExpo 2022 in July last year, which was already short notice for companies looking to participate. The uncertainty in organising such large public events due to the pandemic resulted in the decision to organise the event in hybrid mode, with stalls in both physical and virtual realms.
Innovation Reboot
With a major push now underway towards indigenisation of defence production in India due to the Government’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative, DefExpo was expected to showcase the dramatic strides made by Indian defence in recent years. An important new initiative is ‘Innovations for Defence Excellence’ (iDEX), launched in 2018 and now acts as an umbrella organisation overseeing technology development and potential collaborations in the defence sector.
According to the MoD, “Platforms like iDEX enable the military to find disruptive solutions to complex challenges through its flagship programmes like Defence India Startup Challenges (DISC) and Open Challenges (OC), which shall be the key components for future of military technology.”
The sixth edition of DISC was to have been launched at the show with 29 new problem statements from Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Indian Coast Guard (ICG). Startups nurtured by iDEX and competition winners from the previous year were also to be announced at DefExpo. Since 2018, iDEX has launched five rounds of DISC and three rounds of OC, receiving more than 2,000 applications from individual innovators and startups. Through its Grant-in-Aid framework, Support for Prototype and Research Kickstart (SPARK), which can support entrepreneurs with grants up to INR1.5 crore, iDEX has been able to fund projects in numerous technological areas related to defence.
Indigenous Showcase
Additional details were also expected to emerge at the show on the Wheeled Armoured Platform 8X8 (WhAP), developed by Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) for the Indian Army. TASL announced that successful trials with the vehicle had taken place in January. The WhAP 8X8 is India’s first indigenously developed Amphibious Wheeled Infantry Combat Vehicle (ICV). It features a modular design that can accommodate an engine generating 600bhp, featuring an independent hydropneumatic suspension. It can attain a speed of 80kmph on land and 8kmph in water.
Amongst the other vehicles that would have been on display would be the Tata Motors 8X8 High Mobility Vehicle (HMV) with All-Wheel Independent suspension. The TATA 8X8 HMV was designed to meet a long pending requirement for an indigenously developed multi-axle heavy truck that could be used as a missile launcher or command and control vehicle carrying radars and sensors. The 42 tonne 8X8 HMV is powered by a 9000cc turbocharged engine which can deliver power ratings of 375hp 450hp or 525hp, mated to a heavy-duty 10-speed manual transmission with an indigenously developed two-speed auxiliary gearbox. Besides, it features a total wheel articulation of 375mm and a ground clearance of 400mm.
Bharat Forge had announced that its subsidiary Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited (KSSL) would unveil a new cutting-edge Close-In Weapon System (CIWS), specifically designed and developed to keep aerial threats at bay and continuously protect the vast airspace. According to the company, the CIWS is the world’s most technologically advanced air defence system, developed in collaboration with BAE Systems of the UK and IAI of Israel. It had proven lethal against various air targets, including small aero-models and drones. Also expected to make its DefExpo show debut was the Enhanced Collaborative Autonomous Rover System (ECARS) from Bharat Forge, an Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) showcased to the army last December. Available in 4X4 and 6X6 configurations, the ECARS 6X6 is a multi-terrain UGV that can operate on all types of terrain and perform surveillance, security, safety, and rescue missions.