Prime Minister Narendra Modi has formally inaugurated the 12th edition of DefExpo 2022. This year’s event has been organised on the theme ‘Path to Pride’ and showcases the growing prowess of India’s domestic defence industry. This year’s edition also featured India’s largest-ever drone show performed by IIT Delhi start-up Botlabs, which is also an iDEX winner. Around 1,600 drones will light up the sky during the show.
The biennial exhibition has been organised to support, showcase and forge partnerships for India’s aerospace and defence manufacturing sectors with Indian and global customers. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced record registrations of 1,340 companies and expects over 451 MoUs, Transfer of Technology agreements, and product launches to be inked during the Bandhan ceremony on October 20.
The Raksha Mantri Awards for Excellence in Defence Manufacturing is also being organised for the first time during this edition of DefExpo.
Addressing the curtain raiser press conference in Gandhinagar on October 17, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, 'We are swiftly moving towards becoming the pioneers in design, development and manufacturing at a global level. We are witnessing a transformational journey from being the largest defence importer to a net exporter.'
This is the edition of the show in which States/Union Territories (UTs) have been invited to set up pavilions at the event. The Defence Minister said this new initiative would provide States/UTs with an opportunity to attract investment and enhance their potential for indigenous aerospace & defence manufacturing.
The India Pavilion - a marque pavilion of the Department of Defence Production - showcases the maturity of indigenous defence products, start-ups and the latest technology, including Artificial Intelligence in defence. The Innovations for
Defence Excellence (iDEX) Pavilion presents innovative futuristic technologies undertaken by Indian start-ups carrying out R&D institutions.
DefExpo 2022 also features the first-ever marquee event of the MoD, titled ‘Invest for Defence’, which is being held to promote investment in India’s defence sector, both by the Indian industry and foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers.
The Defence Minister is will inaugurate it on October 20. According to him, the event will be an important platform for eminent industrialists as they can contribute to the Government’s efforts towards the development of the defence industrial ecosystem in the country and become a part of the ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ resolve.
“The event will promote the growth of MSMEs and start-ups in the country so that they can become participants in the global supply chain and generate new employment opportunities,” he added.
Seventy-five countries are participating in DefExpo 2022, and the Minister hosted the second India-Africa Defence Dialogue (IADD) on Day 1 of the show. In addition, the Indian Ocean Region plus (IOR+) conclave takes place today. More than 53 African countries have been invited for IADD and 44 for the IOR+ conclave.
Also Read
DRDO Showcases Recent Advancements In Defence Technologies